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Bioethical and legal considerations of human embryo use[edit]

The ethics and legalities of utilizing human embryos for research application continue to be debated.[1][2][3] Some opponents argue that any use of a human embryo that involves its destruction is morally unacceptable. Proponents note that there are already many sources of unused human embryos that could be used for scientific purposes, and that it would be morally unacceptable to discard them rather than utilize them to potentially improve human health in the future. One study in the UK estimated that by 2012, approximately 1.7 million human embryos had been discarded by fertility clinics being created for IVF.[4] The potential scientific uses of human embryos can be divided into several categories, each with their own ethical and legal considerations. For example, human embryonic stem cell research and germline genome editing.


  1. ^ Freedman, Jeri. "America Debates Stem Cell Research." New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008.
  2. ^ Sandel, Michael J. "The Case Against Perfection." Michael J. Sandel, 2007.
  3. ^ Zavos, Panayiotis. "Reproductive Cloning is Moral." Ed. James Woodward. The Ethics of Human Cloning: At Issue. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2005. 14–24.
  4. ^ Hough, Andrew (2012-12-31). "1.7 million human embryos created for IVF thrown away". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-03-25.