남은 배아와 만든 배아 구분에 있어서의 윤리적 쟁점: “손실 없음의 원리”를 중심으로

Abstract

Stem cell research raises many ethical issues, including the possible harms that are done to early embryos in the process of deriving stem cells. There are two basic stances concerning human embryonic stem cell research: one supports the research and regards the destruction of embryos as an acceptable cost; the other rejects the research and foregoes the potential benefits that the research might offer. In this article, I examine each of these stances and consider a flexible middle-ground position. Additionally, I introduce the Nothing-is-Lost Principle as one element of this middle-ground position and examine whether or not it justifies the discarded-created distinction. I suggest that there is a need for improved guidelines and regulations concerning stem cell research.