Destroying unwanted embryos in research

Some of the human embryos generated by in vitro fertilization (IVF) are treasured by the couples whose gametes were fused to create them; they may fulfil the wish of the prospective parents to have a child. We call these ‘wanted embryos’. It would be wrong to destroy such embryos in research; however, not all embryos are wanted. We argue that it is, with the consent of the parents, morally permissible to conduct destructive research on embryos that are not wanted—perhaps because the reproductive wish of the parents has been fulfilled or abandoned. Moreover, we also argue that it is morally permissible to produce embryos specifically for research. Our arguments are intended to apply only to embryos—not fetuses or fetal tissue— and we assume that an embryo becomes a fetus eight weeks after fertilization.