PHIL 2025 Lecture 10: Moral Status of the Pre embryo
Document Summary
In order to make decisions regarding the ethical disposition of frozen embryos, it is important to know their moral status. In fact, any ethical analysis of options which are available for frozen embryos is totally dependant on what stance one takes on this issue therefore, it is important to spend a few moments discussing three main viewpoints. Bacnclife divides these views into conservative, who say that life begins at conception, moderate who believe that life begins at some varied time after conception, and liberal, who believe that life does not begin until after birth. In determining the moral status of an embryo, several considerations have been proposed. Some feel that the fact that the embryo as identified as a human organism gives it moral status. The stage of development is not important, and thus destroying a fertilized egg has the same moral status as destroying a newborn child.
