دیدگاه‌های اسلامی دربارۀ اخلاق در تحقیقات سلول‌های بنیادی

The ethical assessment of research that uses pluripotent stem cells derived from human embryos and aborted fetal tissue gives rise to serious ethica;-legal question concerning embryonic sancitity and the legality of abortion in Islamic tradition. Although the rulings given by Muslim jurists in this regard are ingerentially deduced on the basis of the precedents in the criminology connected with harming or destroying fetus, the moral status of the fetal viability and embryonic sanctity remains unclear. There is no clear definition of embryo or fetus in the Muslim juridical tradition. Hence, its ethical-legal status remains unresolved. From the prevalent rulings about the graded pentalty for inducing abortion, it appears that personhood of the fetus becomes established much later in the nine-month gestation period. This ambiguity has led to lax attitude when assessing fetal viability in new bioethical rulings. The ethical dilemma concerning embryonic stem cell in biomedical research and all its ramifications for the dignity of the embryo has not been taken up in the current debates.