ヒト胚の道徳的地位を巡って : 論争の背後にあるもの

抄録

In this paper I consider the arguments for the moral status of human embryos from a Christian viewpoint. First I address the position which claims that "the embryo at the moment of conception, i.e. at fertilization, is a person." I focus on the Vatican's strong position which argues vigorously and repeatedly for the protection of early embryos. In this paper I use the word "Vatican" to refer to the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church and magisterium, papal pronouncements, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pontifical Academy for Life and so forth. This is because not all Catholic theologians and ethicists agree with this strong position or reject hES cell research. In this section I take a similar position to the Vatican's. Secondly, I deal with the opposing position which gives the green light to hES cell research because it does not consider the pre-embryo to be a person. And thirdly, I address the response to that criticism by the Vatican. Finally I investigate what the key question is and what kind of issue influences each argument in this debate on the moral status of embryos.