{"title":"'Synthetic' Embryonic Entities: What Really Matters in Legal Regulation?","authors":"Takis Vidalis","doi":"10.1163/15718093-bja10144","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Modern ethics and law understand the human embryo as a value deserving special protection. This protection is ensured by legal systems and until recently was based on a generally accepted understanding of what we mean by 'embryo'. With the technological innovations of the last decades, this perception has begun to be challenged, as new embryonic entities have been artificially created. These entities are not derived from a gamete union and may develop in a biologically similar way to the natural embryo, at least in their early stages. To what extent should these new biological forms be protected, given their similarities and differences with the latter? This article argues that from an ethical and legal point of view, the sole criterion justifying the protection of the human embryo is its potential to fully develop into a complete organism. It is on the basis of this criterion that we should assess the protection of 'synthetic' embryonic entities and proceed to adopt specific regulations for their treatment, particularly in research.</p>","PeriodicalId":43934,"journal":{"name":"EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH LAW","volume":" ","pages":"207-222"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH LAW","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15718093-bja10144","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"LAW","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Modern ethics and law understand the human embryo as a value deserving special protection. This protection is ensured by legal systems and until recently was based on a generally accepted understanding of what we mean by 'embryo'. With the technological innovations of the last decades, this perception has begun to be challenged, as new embryonic entities have been artificially created. These entities are not derived from a gamete union and may develop in a biologically similar way to the natural embryo, at least in their early stages. To what extent should these new biological forms be protected, given their similarities and differences with the latter? This article argues that from an ethical and legal point of view, the sole criterion justifying the protection of the human embryo is its potential to fully develop into a complete organism. It is on the basis of this criterion that we should assess the protection of 'synthetic' embryonic entities and proceed to adopt specific regulations for their treatment, particularly in research.
期刊介绍:
The European Journal of Jewish Studies (EJJS) is the Journal of the European Association for Jewish Studies (EAJS). Its main purpose is to publish high-quality research articles, essays and shorter contributions on all aspects of Jewish Studies. Submissions are all double blind peer-reviewed. Additionally, EJJS seeks to inform its readers on current developments in Jewish Studies: it carries comprehensive review-essays on specific topics, trends and debated questions, as well as regular book-reviews. A further section carries reports on conferences, symposia, and descriptions of research projects in every area of Jewish Studies.