Is it ethical to manufacture designer babies or experiment on human
embryos? Is abortion morally justifiable as well as legally acceptable?
Do terminally ill people have the right to choose when to end their
lives? Sinse the birth of the first baby through in vitro fertilization
just over thirty years ago, scientific advances in this field have been
startling. Developments associated with cloning, human-animal hybrids
and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis - so disturbing for many people -
raise a crucial question about the moral status of the very early
embryo. And, just as much as arguements about the right to interfere
with the beginning of human life, the debate about the individual's
right to choose when to die also provokes strong emotional responses.