A. List and explain briefly, at least THREE areas of scientific/medical practice which are problematic because of lack of agreement about when a developing fertilised human egg should be considered to be a person. B. Explain what i) the natural law, ii) Kantianism, and iii) utilitarianism would recommend if the embryo is considered to be a person. Areas of scientific/medical practice which are problematic

There are areas in scientific/medical practices that can be problematic

The question of human personhood continues to divide medical and scientific professionals. There is no consensus as to when an egg that has been fertilized by a human embryo should be considered a person. This lack of consensus in scientific/medical practice is particularly troublesome for three areas: abortion, fertility treatment, and stem cell study (Zhang et. al., 2002). When it comes down to when fertilized eggs are considered persons, abortion is the subject of most controversy in medical practice. Although some people view the fertilized egg with the same rights as any other person, others believe that it is not personhood until after the point at which the embryo becomes viable or when the embryo can leave the mother’s body. Abortion is still a controversial and highly politicized topic. There’s no consensus on the date at which fertilized eggs should be considered persons. When a fertilized egg is considered a person, fertility treatments are also problematic. There is a lot of ethical discussion about when fertilized eggs or embryos can be considered persons due to the growth in assisted reproduction technologies like IVF (in vitro fertilization). Cont…