Embryo
5 quotes
Biography
An embryo is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sperm cell.
"Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinson's and motor neuron disease from which I and many others suffer. The fact that the cells may come from embryos is not an objection, because the embryos are going to die anyway."
"You cannot be against embryonic stem cell research and be intellectually and therefore morally consistent, if you're not also against in vitro fertilization."
"The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists suggested that embryos should not be allowed to develop in vitro beyond a limit of seventeen days, as this is the point at which early neural development begins. The British Medical Association favoured a limit of fourteen days and a number of groups, including the Medical Research Council and the Royal College of Physicians suggested that the limit should be at the end of the implantation stage. Again, some groups submitting evidence suggested that no embryo which had gone beyond the beginning of the implantation stage should be used for research."
"No live human embryo derived from in vitro fertilisation, whether frozen or unfrozen, may be kept alive, if not transferred to a woman beyond fourteen days after fertilisation, nor may it be used as a research subject beyond fourteen days after fertilisation. This fourteen day period does not include any time during which the embryo may have been frozen."
"It has been suggested that if the demand for human gametes and embryos, for either treatment or for research, increased, there could be a risk of commercial exploitation and of an export and import trade. We would see this as undesirable. On the other hand we can foresee situations where the supply of human gametes or embryos might reasonably involve some commercial transaction, for example if a licensed semen bank was asked to supply specimens to a distant part of the country which would involve them in considerable costs of transportation, we see no reason why they should not seek reimbursement of expenses. Thus a complete prohibition on the purchase or sale of such material would be inappropriate."