The moral status of the human embryo: implications for IVF

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990) accords a special status to human embryos generated in vitro and this has resulted in strict limitations on the nature and extent of embryo research and fertility treatment that can be carried out in the UK. This special status derives from the embryo's recognized potential to become a human being. What do we understand by the concept of 'human being', how does this differ from 'conscious being' or 'person' and how does this affect our attitude towards 'microscopic clusters of cells' that may progress by an uncertain but inexorable process from the Petri dish to the crib?