6 2 / 2021 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS
“ Striving to find an appropriate way to handle human embryos ”
Guest article by Leopoldina member Jochen Taupitz and medical ethicist Claudia Wiesemann
The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities have published a joint statement on re-evaluating the protection of in vitro embryos in Germany ..
Graphic : PINO NOA – Pia Bublies & Nora Coenenberg , Hamburg
The Leopoldina and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities have published a statement on re-evaluating the protection of in vitro embryos in Germany . The science academies ’ aim was to present comprehensive information and science-based recommendations on how to initiate the required re-evaluation of the legally permissible and ethically justifiable ways of handling early human embryos outside of the body in Germany .
BY JOCHEN TAUPITZ ML * AND CLAUDIA WIESEMANN *
The Embryo Protection Act ( ESchG ) entered into force more than 30 years ago . As part of its objective to prevent the misuse of reproductive medicine and human genetics , it prohibits any kind of research on embryos in vitro . However , before the ESchG came into effect , discussions on research policy emphasised how the prohibitions laid down in the act were not set in stone , but rather could be modified in line with changing social values and scientific progress . “ In the long term , even laws can ’ t prevent changes in social values from prompting us to reassess the rejection of embryo research ,” said Wolf-Michael Catenhusen , who chaired the Study Commission on Opportunities and Risks of Genetic Engineering at the time .
Renewed discussions on the permissibility of research on embryos for highlevel research objectives are , in fact , long overdue . This is because there are numerous important scientific questions , which can only be answered by means of embryo research . In addition to resolving fundamental matters concerning embryonic development and the early stages of diseases , embryo research can also help to answer important questions in the area of reproductive medicine . It can be used to find better fertility treatments , to improve the survivability and healthy development of embryos and foetuses during pregnancy , and to help prevent premature births .
In Germany , a large number of embryos created during reproductive treatment are never used , mostly because the couple concerned have completed their family . To date , the only options are to discard these “ surplus embryos ” or – despite the current lack of precise legal guidelines – to donate them to other couples