“So, what is an embryo?” A comparative study of the views of those asked to donate embryos for hESC research in the UK and Switzerland

Abstract

The moral status of the human embryo has gained much attention in debates over the acceptability, or otherwise, of human embryonic stem cell research. Far less attention has been paid to the suppliers of those embryos: people who have undergone IVF treatment to produce embryos to assist them to have a baby. It is sociologically and ethically important to understand their views and experiences of being asked to donate embryos for research if we are to fully understand the wider social and regulatory aspects of hESC science. This paper reports on parallel studies investigating these issues in the UK and in Switzerland. The studies reveal the inextricable entangling of the social and moral status of embryos. Since donors participate in different discursive domains and contexts (public, clinic, family) that shape their perception of “what” an embryo is, their views of embryos embody conflicting ideas and ambivalences.

Factors associated with willingness to donate embryos for research among couples undergoing IVF

“…Patient's preference is not often that their remaining embryos have a chance at life, but rather that they can "be used in a way" (Lyerly and Faden, 2007). Therefore, the meanings of the moral status of embryos seem to be varied and context-dependent, not fixed entities (de Lacey, 2005;Haimes et al, 2008), with couples using a complex and dynamic system of embryo classification (Haimes and Taylor, 2009). Patients undergoing IVF perceive embryos simultaneously as epistemic or medical objects for research and clinical practices, and ontological objects for reproduction (Samorinha et al, 2014), with an instrumental value (Provoost et al, 2009) that should not be wasted (Luna et al, 2009;Provoost et al, 2010).…”

Marginalizing Experience: A Critical Analysis of Public Discourse Surrounding Stem Cell Research in Australia (2005–6)

“…Women who already donate their embryos, or will be called upon to donate their embryos and/or oocytes for ESC/SCNT research, play a crucial role in its future. Yet these women are in an extremely vulnerable position because they may often have strong emotional attachments to their embryos (De Lacey 2005;Haimes et al 2008). According to an IVF patient interviewed in this study, many feel judged for making decisions about the fate of their embryos and particularly for speaking about their decisions or beliefs in the public domain.…”

Reflexoes sobre a investigacao em embrioes de origem humana: o debate nas organizacoes de etica portuguesas

“…overall, the views of the users of assisted reproductive techniques on 5 v.20, supl., nov. 2013 5 the affective and moral value of cryopreserved embryos (haimes et al, 2008;silva, Machado, 2009), as well as approaches that identify the embryo as a tertium genius, that is as neither a 'person'/'human being' nor a 'thing' (Raposo, 2009), were not discussed.…”