McCully Sophia
Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
J Med Ethics. 2021 Feb 2. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106406.
For the past 40 years, the 14-day rule has governed and, by defining a clear boundary, enabled embryo research and the clinical benefits derived from this. It has been both a piece of legislation and a rule of good practice globally. However, methods now allow embryos to be cultured for more than 14 days, something difficult to imagine when the rule was established, and knowledge gained in the intervening years provides robust scientific rationale for why it is now essential to conduct research on later stage human embryos. In this paper, I argue that the current limit for embryo research in vitro should be extended to 28 days to permit research that will illuminate our beginnings as well as provide new therapeutic possibilities to reduce miscarriage and developmental abnormalities. It will also permit validation of potentially useful alternatives. Through consideration of current ethical arguments, I also conclude that there are no coherent or persuasive reasons to deny researchers, and through them humanity, the knowledge and the innovation that this will generate.
在过去的40年里，“14天规则”一直发挥着规范作用，通过界定明确的界限，使得胚胎研究以及从中获得的临床益处成为可能。它在全球范围内既是一项立法，也是良好实践的准则。然而，如今的技术方法能够让胚胎培养超过14天，这在该规则制定之时是难以想象的，而且在此期间所获得的知识为为何现在对发育后期的人类胚胎进行研究至关重要提供了强有力的科学依据。在本文中，我认为目前体外胚胎研究的时限应延长至28天，以便开展能够阐明我们生命起源的研究，同时提供新的治疗可能性，以减少流产和发育异常情况。这也将允许对潜在有用的替代方法进行验证。通过对当前伦理观点的思考，我还得出结论，没有连贯或有说服力的理由来拒绝研究人员，进而拒绝人类由此将产生的知识与创新。
