Do human cells have rights?

Abstract

The chairman of Britain's Committee of Inquiry Into Human Fertilisation and Embryology addresses the issue of research with human embyros up to 14 days after fertilization, which the Committee recommended be allowed. Bypassing the question of the personhood of the embryo because the concept is so difficult to define, Warnock asks whether embryos have rights, specifically the right not to be used for research. Pointing out that embryos in vitro presently have no legal rights in Britain, she argues that moral, not legal, principles are involved, and that the question to be answered is how ought embryos to be treated? While a utilitarian calculus would encourage almost unlimited research, Warnock cautions that the public's moral feelings must be taken into account when government policy is formulated. A compromise must be reached, she concludes, which is what her Committee attempted to achieve in its recommendations.