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Paragraph in Support of Using Fertilized Fetuses for Donor Tissue

The use of artificially fertilized human fetuses for donor tissues can probably be accomplished in ways that do not raise any legitimate ethical concerns (Sagan, 2007). That process would require appropriate laws and protocols of medical ethics to ensure that tissues cultivated this way would be harvested and used before the fetus is capable of sensing pain. If fetal development beyond that point were necessary, ethical practice would require anesthetizing the fetus to avoid causing any pain. It would also be advisable to prohibit or at least strictly limit the circumstances in which such procedures could be used. For example, it might be ethically appropriate to cultivate organs this way to save lives but not to generate profit from the sale of human tissue (Sagan, 2007).

Paragraph in Opposition to Using Fertilized Fetuses for Donor Tissue

The use of artificially fertilized human fetuses for donor tissues cannot be accomplished in ways that do not raise serious ethical concerns. The principle ethical objection is as much about the exploitation of the fetus created solely for this purpose as it is about physical pain (Levine, 2008). Even if these procedures could be restricted to those performed before fetal development of the ability to sense pain and even if the donor baby were completely anesthetized, this use of technology exploits the donor fetus by treating it as an inanimate source of biological tissue instead of with the dignity and respect that all human beings deserve. The ethical principle of autonomy strongly suggests that the donor baby is entitled to respect, dignity, and autonomy as much as every other human being.

References

Levine, C. (2008). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Bioethical Issues. 12th Ed. Dubuque

Iowa: McGraw Hill.

Sagan, C. (2007). Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium. New York: Random House