Every embryo must be regarded as a person

IN the recent case involving three frozen embryos, Mr Justice Brian McGovern raised the fundamental question — when does human life begin?

Observing that it was not the function of the court to adjudicate between competing moral or religious beliefs, the judge stated that because of the lack of agreement among the medical and scientific community as to when life began, in-vitro embryos were deserving of special respect only, but not the rights accorded the human person. He added that in-vitro embryos had a “precarious existence”.

In fact, there is no doubt among the scientific community, including embryologists and other medical experts, worldwide. They maintain that human life begins at fertilisation. Hence, every human embryo, however conceived, has to be considered a human person from fertilisation and accorded the rights and dignity of personhood.