Que penser des recherches sur l'embryon ? Questionnements de deux étudiantes d'un diplôme universitaire en éthique

From an ethical point of view, embryo research raises many difficult issues because the embryo lies at the beginning of human life so that any action effective on an embryo has an impact on the most vulnerable of human elements. Nevertheless, in order to better understand the implantation process of the fertilized egg (naturally or in vitro), it is important to examine certain developmental disorders of the fetus during pregnancy, inciting researchers to promote embryo research. Moreover, the fabulous capacity for multiplication of embryonic cells has led to much hope for therapeutic solutions to many problems. What should we think about all of this? How can the tension created between needed research and respect for life and life potential be apprehended? Regarding the current legislation, we propose our reflections on these questions which were debated within the framework of a university course on ethics. We review the current regulations and make several propositions.