A Chinese Ethical View on the Moral Status of Researched Human Embryo / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

In January 2004,the long expected written regulation of 'Guidelines for research on human embryonic stem cells' was jointly released by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health,Beijing,China.In 'Ethical Guidelines for Research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells',The Article 5 say The human embryonic stem cell used for research can derived from ① spared gamete or blastula remaining after In Vitro Fertilization(IVF);②fetal cells after natural or voluntarily selective abortion;③blastula or monosexual split blastula by somatic cell nucleus transfer technique;④germ cells voluntarily donated;The Article 6 say any blastula obtained by IVF,somatic cell nucleus transfer technique,mono-sexual reproduction technique or genetic modification cannot be cultured in ex vivo for longer than 14 days,since fertilization or nucleus transfer.Such supporting to the embryo researched gotten by the somatic cell nucleus transfer technique,and supporting the human embryonic stem cell research under the condition of the embryo researched within 14 days,is meeting the objections from native country and some foreign countries.In my paper,I argued that an embryo within 14 days is not a person,an embryo is only a human biological life,a human embryo has a certain value,it deserves due to respect,but if there are enough reasons,it can be used.Destructive embryo research should only be approved in exceptional circumstances.To the blastulas or mono-sexual split blastulas by somatic cell nucleus transfer technique,this is an Ethical issue of creating embryos for research.The majority of bioethicists said it is wrong to create and destroy a person for research.I argued that the Moral Status of Researched Human Embryo is not a person,so, Kant' theory is no used here.I further claimed that a 14 days old embryo could be used for research.I quoted a major view of the moral status of the embryo/fetus from the medical science.A 14 days old embryo is a cluster of cells without bones,organs of other traits;they have a consciousness around 20 weeks,so a 14 days old embryo cannot be hurt.