Well, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
To be less flip, I don't believe that an 8-day embryo (or whatever it is) is a 'human life'. Potentially, given the proper support, it might be - but then, it looks as though in a few years time any shed skin cell could 'potentially' be developed into a human clone. I'm no more sentimental about whatever 'potential life' might be lost in this way than I am about the 'potential life' lost during a woman's period. Nature designs for excess and waste.
I don't believe women are going to be forced to donate eggs: or men to donate sperm: still less that any viable and wanted embryo, in utero, to be extracted: so no 'wanted baby' is going to be used in this way. Whatever by-product of the human body is used is no more 'human' than any other lab culture - regardless of what it might have, under other never-achieved circumstances, possibly become. It is about as capable of independent life as a tumour; not formed, still less sentient; created from cells in a laboratory vessel, it will only ever be such. It is not a concern.
The benefits, BTW, may well be huge. I'd say they would be worthwhile even if minor, if they helped in the prevention or cure of genetic disorders, or help more women who do want to have healthy babies to achieve that... |
