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Cryopreservation of Preimplantation Embryos of Cattle, Sheep, and Goats
Published on: August 5, 2011
Cryopreserved embryos and Dignitas personae: another option?
1University of Scranton, USA.
Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal
|February 21, 2013
Summary
This paper argues for the moral acceptability of thawing cryopreserved human embryos, allowing their disposal. This approach aligns with ethical principles for end-of-life care, addressing the bleak future for many embryos in storage.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Reproductive Technology Ethics
- Embryo Disposition
Background:
- Thousands of human embryos are cryopreserved, with uncertain futures.
- Many stored embryos face discarding or indefinite storage without parental intent for gestation or adoption.
- The moral status of human embryos necessitates ethical consideration for their disposition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the ethical dilemma of cryopreserved human embryos with bleak futures.
- To propose a morally acceptable framework for the disposition of these embryos.
- To explore the ethical parallels between embryo disposition and end-of-life treatment withdrawal.
Main Methods:
- Ethical case analysis.
- Application of moral equality principles to all developmental stages.
- Comparison with established principles of end-of-life care and life-sustaining treatment removal.
Main Results:
- A framework is presented allowing for the thawing and natural death of some cryopreserved embryos.
- The proposed disposition method respects the embryo's status.
- Moral acceptability is established by aligning with principles governing withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.
Conclusions:
- Thawing and allowing natural death for some cryopreserved human embryos is morally acceptable.
- This approach is consistent with ethical guidelines for end-of-life care.
- It provides a resolution for embryos with uncertain or bleak futures in cryogenic storage.
