Journal article
Two kinds of embryo research: four case examples
- Abstract:
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There are ethical obligations to conduct research that contributes to generalisable knowledge and improves reproductive health, and this should include embryo research in jurisdictions where it is permitted. Often, the controversial nature of embryo research can alarm ethics committee members, which can unnecessarily delay important research that can potentially improve fertility for patients and society. Such delay is ethically unjustified. Moreover, countries such as the UK, Australia and Singapore have legislation which unnecessarily captures low-risk research, such as observational research, in an often cumbersome and protracted review process. Such countries should revise such legislation to better facilitate low-risk embryo research.
We introduce a philosophical distinction to help decision-makers more efficiently identify higher risk embryo research from that which presents no more risks to persons than other types of tissue research. That distinction is between future person embryo research and non-future person embryo research. We apply this distinction to four examples of embryo research that might be presented to ethics committees.
Embryo research is most controversial and deserving of detailed scrutiny when it potentially affects a future person. Where it does not, it should generally require less ethical scrutiny. We explore a variety of ways in which research can affect a future person, including by deriving information about that person, and manipulating eggs or sperm before an embryo is created.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 273.3KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1136/medethics-2021-108038
Authors
- Publisher:
- BMJ Publishing Group
- Journal:
- Journal of Medical Ethics More from this journal
- Volume:
- 48
- Issue:
- 9
- Pages:
- 590-596
- Place of publication:
- England
- Publication date:
- 2022-05-09
- Acceptance date:
- 2022-04-19
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1473-4257
- ISSN:
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0306-6800
- Pmid:
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35534151
- Language:
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English
- Pubs id:
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1260152
- Local pid:
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pubs:1260152
- Deposit date:
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2025-02-17
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Savulescu et al
- Copyright date:
- 2022
- Rights statement:
- © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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