Bioetyczny i teologicznomoralny wymiar zamrażania ludzkich embrionów
The Bioethical and Moral Theology Dimension of Human Embryo Cryopreservation

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the issues of cryopreservation of human embryos. The use of this technique is related to assisted procreation. The supernumerary embryos created in order to increase the effectiveness of the in vitro procedure are frozen so that they can be used in subsequent transfer attempts. The author presents the technical dimension of freezing and the risks associated with it. In the last part, the author analyzes the ethical dimension of these techniques. He emphasize that although assisted procreation is immoral itself, it is morally right to strive to correct this evil by the mother, who is ready to accept into her womb the thawed embryos. The adoption of abandoned embryos seems to be a good solution. However, this solution cannot be justified from the ethical point of view. If it is forced by law to defrost or terminate the contract by the clinic that stores the embryos, it is possible to consent to their death. The health condition of the embryos, which makes their development impossible, releases from the obligation to transfer. Moreover, it is immoral to select embryos by eugenics and transfer only those embryos that have the desired phenotypic or sex characteristics.

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