Description

Is it ethical to manufacture designer babies or experiment on human embryos? Is abortion morally justifiable as well as legally acceptable? Do terminally ill people have the right to choose when to end their lives? Sinse the birth of the first baby through in vitro fertilization just over thirty years ago, scientific advances in this field have been startling. Developments associated with cloning, human-animal hybrids and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis - so disturbing for many people - raise a crucial question about the moral status of the very early embryo. And, just as much as arguements about the right to interfere with the beginning of human life, the debate about the individual's right to choose when to die also provokes strong emotional responses.