Principles of ethical decision making regarding XXXX cell research in Germany.

@entity1 @entity2085
The availability of @entity2085 ( @entity2085 ) cells isolated from @entity1 blastocysts may open novel avenues for medical treatment of otherwise incurable diseases. Yet the generation of @entity1 @entity2085 cells requires the destruction of early @entity1 embryos. This confronts us with the moral problem of whether it is justifiable to sacrifice @entity1 life in order to treat other @entity1 life. This article outlines the development of the German debate about research with @entity2085 cells and explicates the arguments that are central to that debate with respect to the aims and means of research with @entity2085 cells. With regard to the means, the isolation of @entity2085 cells from @entity1 embryos raises the question of the moral status of the @entity1 embryo. A restrictive position acknowledges the @entity1 dignity of the embryo in its very early stage of development and claims that the embryo's life must be protected accordingly. In contrast, a gradualist position acknowledges @entity1 dignity, and therefore the full level of protection, only when the embryo has reached a certain stage of development. In addition, the intentions behind the generation of @entity1 embryos, i.e. exclusively for research purposes, and the mode of generating them, i.e. by nuclear transfer technology, have strong ethical relevance in the German debate. Based on these results, the ethical reasoning underlying the draft of a Stem Cell Act recently passed by the German Parliament is outlined.
