Ethical issues of the research on human embryonic stem cells

This paper examines the debate on human embryonic stem cell (hES) research. In Japan, as in many Western countries, the moral status of the human embryo has been the main focus. There is a dichotomy between the advocates of research on hES cells and the advocates of the dignity of the embryos. Advocates of research on hES cells claim that the act of abandoning the embryo and the act of using it for research have the same moral status. Critics of research using embryos reject this position, claiming that the embryo has a status incommensurable with other values. This paper points out that the standpoint of the woman providing the embryos has been overlooked in this discussion.