University of Macau, Macao, Macao.
Macao, Macao.
Dev World Bioeth. 2020 Mar;20(1):38-49. doi: 10.1111/dewb.12241. Epub 2019 Jul 29.
Under Chinese law, the juridical status of the embryo and the foetus is unclear, mainly because the existing legislation can be subject to diverse interpretations due to its ambiguous language. Lack of clarity with the law has led to different understandings amongst Chinese legal scholars. However, although there has been no consensus, there has been a clear tendency to deprive embryos and foetuses of legal status or personhood, thereby excluding them from entitlement to fundamental rights, an understanding reinforced by the Confucian view of the beginning of life. It is expected that in the near future the Chinese courts will face issues involving embryos and foetuses more often, such as disputes over in vitro embryos. The lack of legal precedent could result in contradictory resolutions, therefore, the law should clarify the legal status of embryos and foetuses and accord to prenatal life special respect and treatment.
在中国法律中，胚胎和胎儿的法律地位并不明确，主要是因为现有立法的语言模棱两可，可能会导致不同的解释。法律的不明确导致中国法律学者之间存在不同的理解。然而，尽管尚未达成共识，但有一种明显的趋势是剥夺胚胎和胎儿的法律地位或人格，从而排除他们享有基本权利，这种理解受到儒家生命起点观的强化。预计在不久的将来，中国法院将更频繁地面临涉及胚胎和胎儿的问题，例如体外胚胎的争议。由于缺乏法律先例，可能会导致矛盾的裁决，因此，法律应该明确胚胎和胎儿的法律地位，并给予产前生命特别的尊重和待遇。
