Abstract
The objective was to analyze the understanding of nursing and medical students of practical situations in the field of human reproduction and family planning in the context of a eugenicist theoretical framework. Qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research was conducted from September to December 2015, through interviews with ten students in the field of health. After thematic content analysis, two categories were constructed. One discussed advantages, such as the cure of genetic diseases, and the need to expand the regulation and supervision and care of the mother/child dyad. The other described practical and ideological dilemmas on the nature of the individual, family, biological and social reproduction of human beings, discussing historical limits for the socialization of benefits through the pursuit of physical and mental perfection. It was concluded that knowledge of eugenics was weak and that the expansion of debates on the subject in the academic, scientific, professional and/or social areas is required.
Reproduction; Family planning (public health); Eugenics; Bioethics; Students, nursing; Students, medical