Michael J. Meyer and Lawrence J. Nelson

Michael J. Meyer is an associate professor and department chair of philosophy at Santa Clara University in California. Lawrence J. Nelson is a lecturer of philosophy at Santa Clara University and has served as a bioethics consultant to the National Institutes of Health.

The potentially groundbreaking field of embryonic stem cell research relies upon the use and destruction of human embryos in the earliest stages of development. Opponents of such research argue that human embryos deserve the moral respect of human beings and should not be experimented upon. However, the destruction of human embryos for justifiable scientific experimentation does not necessarily undermine their moral status. For example, the present-day use of human cadavers in medical research demonstrates how objects destroyed during scientific experimentation can be treated with...