Abstract
The term “embryo” is used in biology to refer to the early developmental phase of an organism. In philosophy, “person” is employed to designate the specific dignity of those beings that possess self-consciousness, freedom and moral responsibility. Presently, there is a great debate on the possibility of granting the category of persons to human embryos. Such a step would make them subject of rights and thus prevent their destruction. In this chapter, we will show the complex nature of these debates in the field of bioethics given that the problem of the epistemology status of bioethics has yet to be resolved. We will also analyze the category “person” and the various meanings it has acquired in philosophy over the centuries. In the concluding part, we will present the Catholic doctrine on this theme and on some recent proposals for obtaining embryonic stem cells (like in ANT). In order to do so, we will rely primarily on the Instruction Dignitas personae, the latest document issued by the Church on the topic.
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Acknowledgments
I wish to express my appreciation to Profs. Rodríguez Luño and Jiménez Amaya for their comments and observations. This study was translated into English by Anthony Odoh and Craig Iffland. I also thank Kevin Belgrave for his revision of the manuscript.
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Meana, P.R. (2011). On the Status of Human Embryos and Cellular Entities Produced Through ANT: Are They Persons?. In: Suarez, A., Huarte, J. (eds) Is this Cell a Human Being?. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20772-3_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20772-3_7
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