The Prenatal Person: Ethics from Conception to Birth

A host of ethical questions has arisen recently in response to the development of new reproductive technologies. This text helps students of theology, philosophy, and health studies, as well as lay readers, to find answers to these questions.In order to facilitate an informed discussion of the many delicate ethical issues, the book first provides readers with relevant medical and scientific information. It explains in a clear and simple way, for example, what is involved in human embryo and embryonic cell stem research, infertility and its treatments, and prenatal screening and diagnosis. It also explains how the metaphysical framework, in which both Christian and secular philosophers think, relates to the scientific facts and affects the ways in which they solve ethical problems. Throughout, the author takes a balanced approach, acknowledging his loyalty to Catholicism, yet freely exploring new options indicated by advancing biological science.