EMBRYO RESEARCH - THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC-POLICY

Complete moral consensus on the status of the human embryo is neither feasible nor necessary for the formulation of ethically acceptable pub lic policy for human embryo research. Significant consensus on permiss ible human embryo research can rest upon diverse but overlapping moral traditions. Thus, human embryo research policy should do more than re flect mere abstract assertions about the moral status of human embryos . Rather, the moral underpinnings of human embryo research should be d erived from a range of values, including the facilitation of human pro creation, the advancement of applied scientific knowledge, the reducti on of human suffering, and the protection of vulnerable persons from c oercion and exploitation.