Political obstacles to the sanitary advocacy in Brazil: the research with embryonic stem cells

Abstract

Generally speaking, Advocacy's objective is to claim a right. 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution has recognized health as a constitutional human right which has initiated public debates about sanitary advocacy. This works seeks to bring out the politics obstacles to the practice of sanitary advocacy, starting with an analysis of a specific case - the dispute for freedom to carry on scientific research with embryonic stem cells, regulated by 5th article of Biosecurity Act, which has been contested to the Brazilian Supreme Court (by an Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade - ADI 3.510). The methodology used was a case study (used to explain the problem and the right claimed, to make a diagnosis of the situation, to present the strategy of advocacy and to identify political obstacles) and the inductive method (to compose a guide-book to identify political obstacles to sanitary advocacy in general).