“An ephemeral transplant”: analysis of scientific publications on the Brazilian case of uterine transplant

Abstract This article analyzes scientific publications that discuss or mention the uterine transplant procedure performed on humans in Brazil in 2016. Thirteen articles published between 2016 and 2023 were selected from PubMed, later subjected to a narrative review, and public statements from the doctors involved in this type of transplant were considered. From this, we sought to understand the discourses, consensus, and controversies that arise in the scientific field. We approached this analysis from the perspective of social studies of science and regarded scientific discourse as historical, provisional, and partial construction, influenced by economic, social, and political interests. The findings indicate the mobilization of moral arguments - not exclusively “technical” ones - in defense of the transplant and an (over)emphasis on favorable aspects of the procedure. There is also a noticeable strong biological essentialism that reinforces the idea that ideal motherhood requires the experience of pregnancy within one’s own body, ensuring gestational, genetic, and legal components.