A significant problem, however, is that there is no longer any limit on the time frame for research. Would it be permissible to do research on human embryos that are 20 days old or 40 days old? The guidelines specify no limit. The longer a human embryo is allowed to grow, the more recognisably human it becomes. At what point would we regard the research unethical, and at what point does the moral cost outweigh the benefits of research?
AuthorSheetal Soni
Dr Sheetal Soni is the Deputy Academic Leader for Teaching and Learning at UKZN (Pietermaritzburg), and a lecturer in the field of Bioethics, International Law and Intellectual Property Law. She has completed an LLB, Masters of Law and PhD degree (to be conferred).
She is also an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a core member of the UKZN Health Law and Research Ethics Group. Her research interests are reproductive technology and preimplantation testing of early embryos. She has done consultancy work for the HIV/AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group (HAVEG), the AIDS and Rights Alliance of South Africa (ARASA), and the National Department of Health. She is also a collaborator on various projects with Next BioSciences, the UKZN African Health Flagship and on the South African site of the Sustainable & Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS) project. She is currently assisting with the drafting of Clinical Guidelines for Genetic Services, and the drafting of guidelines for the regulation of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. She is an active member of the Association for Responsible Research in Genome Editing (ARRIGE); the South African Society of Human Genetics; and the Human Cell Atlas. She is also the South African Ambassador to the Association of Ethics and Integrity (Association Ethique & Intégrité).