[Bioethics. Implications for medical practice and deontologic and legal standards, in Brazil]

The author's vast experience in medicine and law is demonstrated in this article, which analyzes moral issues in professional ethics. The article includes up-to-date references to the Brazilian Code of Deontology (1984) and the Code of Medical Ethics (1988), as well as to the Civil and Criminal Codes. The analysis considers the different trends that have emerged as a result of recent advances and discoveries in science and technology related to family planning; medical experimentation and research; euthanasia; transplants of organs, tissues, and other parts of the human body; abortion; and professional confidentiality.