Essentially, pro-lifers are deontologists who believe that personhood begins immediately upon inception, and, therefore, are inherently opposed to abortion, the destruction of human embryos, etc. It is fair to say that no right minded individual believes that the murder of humans is ever acceptable, however, many scientists are willing to sacrifice human embryos (ones already condemned for destruction, that is) in the name of medical innovation because they tend to be consequentialists. What exactly does that mean? Doerflinger quotes National Institute of Health panel member Ron Green who quotes Joseph Fletcher: "If the end doesn't justify the means, what does?" (215). In this case, the "means" is the embryos destroyed during research and the "end" is all of the potential advancements in regenerative medicines that could help save lives of many people already born and grown.
Now that a clear moral template has been established for pro-lifers and proponents of embryonic stem cell research, the next appropriate step to understanding how in vitro fertilization is the key to ethical embryonic stem cell research is an explanation of the process itself. In vitro fertilization, which is an artificial conception process, is a widely accepted, and more importantly, legal, way for couples with fertility complications to have kids. In "A Defense of Embryonic Stem Cell Research," Gregory Dolin provides an incredibly comprehensive defense of embryonic stem cell research which draws on detailed medical, legal, and philosophical support. In his argument Dolin also explains the in vitro fertilization process in detail: .
The first step in creating an embryo in vitrois obtaining the two cells that make an embryo-that is a sperm and ovum. Little needs to be said about extraction of spermThe oocyte extraction is a minor surgical procedure, usually performed on an outpatient basisUsually between eight and fifteen eggs are retrieved per procedure.
