EMBRYO
and EMBRYONIC RESEARCH
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EMBRYO |
| From fertilization until death, human life evolves continually and in so doing passes through various stages : embryonic, foetus, newborn, childhood, etc. The uninterrupted transition from one stage to another takes place completely naturally and thus the person is unaware of any change. |
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| The embryo is therefore a human being that begins to develop from the moment fertilisation takes place. There is not a pre-embryonic stage because the human being is unable to exist until the two gametes (reproductive cells) have combined. It is the fusion of the two cells that marks the beginning of the development of a new human being. As soon as the two gametes meet, the entire genotype is present in the egg that is obtained. | |
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The embryonic cells that make up the young embryo, are called 'stems' because they are capable of creating all the other cells of the human body to produce muscle, skin, nails, etc. The preparation of these embryo stem cells (ES) necessitates not only the production of a human embryo and/or the use of excess embryos as a result of an IVF but also the destruction of the embryo when the cells are taken from the embryo at the blastocyst stage. |
| The embryonic stem cells are also cultivated to produce a considerable number of identical cells. | |
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Research on an embryo is considered by bioethics laws, not to cure an
unhealthy embryo but to take the embryo cells (and in so doing destroy the
embryo) and use them as material for experiments. The french law of 29 July 1994, which is still in force, does not allow research on an embryo. The article 2141-8 of the Public Health Code clearly stipulates "the conceiving of an in-vitro human embryo for research purposes is prohibited. Any kind of experimentation on an embryo is forbidden".
The french law of 8th July 2004
recalls that "research on human embryo is forbidden", but authorizes it
"exceptionally", for a 5-year time period, on surplus embryos without
any parental project.
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