Respecting the Human Embryo

LIFE and the human embryo: an introduction

One of LIFE’s core values is our recognition of the fact that human life begins at conception i.e. fertilisation. When an egg is fertilised by a sperm a whole series of biological and chemical changes begin, and a new and unique human individual has come into being; a self-directed, self-perpetuating, integrated, whole human organism, quite unlike the egg and sperm from which it was formed. This applies whether that embryo has been created in vitro – by some laboratory-based technique of assisted reproduction – or inside the womb, through normal sexual intercourse.

Because they are individual human beings, there are certain ways of treating human embryos that are unethical, just as there are right and wrong ways to behave towards adult human beings. These include intentionally destroying embryos; using embryos for research and then discarding them. This means that LIFE oppose the use of embryos as a source of stem cells. We are not opposed to stem cell technology as such; we welcome the development of cures based on the use of stem cells from ethical sources such as bone marrow, umbilical cord blood.

Another increasingly widespread medical practice that undermines the dignity of the human embryo is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. PGD involves removing a cell from the young embryo at around the 8-cell stage and testing it for genetic abnormalities or the potential for future abnormalities. What it really amounts to is a “search and destroy” mission against certain embryos. It does not seek to cure or treat medical conditions; rather PGD kills the carrier. It is only a cure for genetic disease in the sense that killing cancer patients would be a cure for cancer. PGD leads to the destruction of disabled embryos simply because they are disabled – or even because they have a genetic propensity towards certain diseases – and therefore cannot be seen as anything other than a brutal form of discrimination. PGD not only undermines respect for embryonic life, but it sends a clear message to living disabled people: it would be better if you’d never be born. It is not curing disability; it is eliminating the disabled.