The biopolitics of frozen embryos

Abstract

The unresolved debate about frozen embryos has left open the discussion on "what to do with them". There are only three ways to deal with frozen embryos: 1) to leave them frozen indefinitely; 2) to defrost and discard them and 3) to use them for research. In this paper, we suggest that the application of current scientific knowledge, instead of inappropriately referring to ethical principles or to the concept of person, could help with the decision about what to do with hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos, thus bringing the sensitive debate on bioethical issues to shared practical solutions. We face a new individual only when a new functional copy of his genome is formed. In both natural and artificial animal and plant reproduction, this principle applies. This status occurs in humans at the 4-8 cell stage. Acknowledgement of this factual datum would allow advocates of all religious and ideological beliefs to defend their principles and to realign their positions to a setting within the boundaries of current scientific knowledge.KEY WORDS: biopolitics, frozen embryo, functional genome, human being, scientific citizenship, stem cell Necessary preliminary remarks: political decision makers need a biological backgroundKnowledge brings cultural and medical benefits to society and is, therefore, now considered the engine for social and economic development of advanced countries. This concept is indisputable, since it has been consolidated over centuries of history, particularly in Europe. Through the ages, philosophical thought, artistic creation and scientific innovation allowed social development and cultural progress, which are unique to our species. After the century of chemistry (1800s) and physics (1900s) we entered the century of biology in which both culture and economics are based on the advancement of knowledge in the life sciences. The most recent progress in this field determines the wide impact of all forms of biotechnology in politics, human rights and, more in general, on aspects of daily life. The real political themes have at the present time, a bio-political nature being often concentrated on topics related to the beginning and the end of life, the environment and the production of food. All these bio-political topics inevitably prompt discussion about justice and between the parties which often have conflicting interests. Scientific information should be made available to everybody, allowing citizens to develop their own ideas and make prejudice-free decisions about topics important for their own life. The gained knowledge of the most recent progress in research must be considered as an integral part of our culture. This is a discipline that requires patience and time in order to grasp concepts that are Int. J. Dev. Biol. 55: 243-247 (2011) doi: 10.1387/ijdb.103281mm essential for a knowledgeable judgment of practical applications.Only humanistic culture can shed light on these processes, and therefore any good scientist should possess this kind of culture. On the other hand, any go...

Stem cells: sources and therapies

“…In addition, we have acquired the ability to produce several cell types from the SSC isolated from different tissues of adults, fetuses and the umbilical cord blood (CB). SC isolated from preimplantation embryos only now entering the preclinical trials steps due to the necessary caution in their use (their clonogenic capacity can lead to tumors) and for the ethical and legal considerations on the embryo status (Monti and Redi, 2011b). No doubt, ES are a need for the scientific community, but actually for other uses than for therapies; in other words, we need them to advance our knowledge on the very first embryo developmental steps and to shorten the time of toxicological and pharmacological tests so that translational medicine can take profit of the iPS' ability to "draw in a test tube" the diseases.…”

“…In many more countries (for example, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy), embryos left after IVF have to be cryo-preserved. The international situation, the ethical issues and the philosophical themes are broadly discussed in "Biopolitics of the frozen embryos" by Monti and Redi (2011b).…”