ethics and human embryo research Flashcards
What is a young embryo?
An embryo which is no older than 14 days (not including cryopreservation time)
What is the Act which covers embryo research in Great Britain?
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. They use the regulations Human Fertilisation and Embryology Regulation 2001.
What is a current project at the Newcastle Fertility Centre?
Creating insulin-producing cells that can be transplanted into diabetic patients so there is less chance of rejection.
What amendments were made to the Act in 2008?
The amendments allowed the creation and use of human admixed embryos in research (e.g. nucleus of human egg put into egg from cow). This was due to a lack of human embryos for research purposes.
What is mitochondrial donation?
This is the use of donated mitochondrial DNA if the embryo of may have mitochondrial abnormalities caused by mitochondrial DNA from the mother. May occur if there is a significant risk of the person developing a serious mitochondrial disease. The process involves the insertion of all nuclear DNA of the mothers egg into the donated egg.
What are the 4 arguments for giving human embryos low status?
- Argument from probability
- Argument from sentience
- Argument from potentiality
- Argument from ensoulment
What is the argument from probability?
A human being with a high probability of surviving beyond a certain stage is more valuable than a human being with a low probability. The probability that a young embryo may not survive beyond implantation is high. Therefore young embryos should not be granted a high status.
What are the issues with the argument from probability?
We cannot explicitly say that all embryos have a low chance of surviving; some young embryos may have a high chance of surviving past implantation. Moreover, a high probability of surviving does not imply more worth (someone older does not get treat differently to a child, this would be incredibly immoral, therefore why should we accept this for embryos)
What is the argument from sentience?
A necessary condition for high status is the ability to be able to feel pain (sentience). As young embryos lack the capacity to feel pain, young embryos should not be granted high status.
What are the issues with the argument from sentience?
Who says feeling pain is required to be granted a high status? What about people under anaesthesia? It would still be immoral to kill them. How do we know that young embryos lack the capacity to feel pain? Also, even if they can’t feel pain now, they have the capacity to feel pain in the future, therefore is this not unethical?
What is the argument from potentiality (version 1)?
Version 1 focuses on the concept that embryos are like gametes. Gametes have the same potential to develop into human beings as embryos. It would be absurd to claim that gametes have the same moral status as human beings. In conclusion, it is absurd to claim that embryos have the same moral status as human beings.
What are the issues with version 1 of argument from potentiality?
Whilst it is true that gametes should not be given the same moral status as humans, it is not true that gametes have the same potential to develop into babies. Gametes have passive potentialities, e.g. they are parts of individuals which must be transformed before having the intrinsic potential to become a baby. On the other hand, embryos have active potentialities, e.g. they already have intrinsic potential as they already develop into more mature embryos.
What is the argument from potentiality (version 2)?
This focuses on the fact that embryos are like acorns. Young organisms with the potential to be more mature have less moral value than those who are mature already (e.g. acorns and oak tree, embryos and humans). Acorns have the potential to become oak trees but they are not yet oak trees. In conclusion, embryos lack the status possessed by adults.
What are the issues with version 2 of argument from potentiality?
Should young organisms really be valued less? No! We would never do this with old and young people. It is more likely to do with the instrumental and aesthetic value.
What is the argument of ensoulment?
Aristotle said the soul is the idea which makes humans a living individual rather than a dead heap of individual cells, etc. As long as something can still divide into more than 1 ensouled being, it cannot possess a soul. Young embryos can still divide into more than one organism (e.g. for twins), therefore young embryos are not ensouled and should not be given the same moral status as human beings.
