ISSCR: grave omission of age limit for embryo research

The authors, renowned bioethicists, responded in June 2021 to the recent May update to the ISSCR guidelines. They argue that the shift in policy from the 2016 guidelines, which maintained the 14-day limit on embryo research, to the updated ISSCR guidelines in 2021 is without sufficient justification. In particular, the authors criticize that the 2021 guidelines do not establish limits for ex vivo embryos. As such, they remind us that limits are necessary for embryo research: “At some point, the developing human embryo reaches a stage at which it should not be used for research. There is disagreement about when that happens, but scientists need to acknowledge that it does, and reassure the public that they accept limits” (2021:495).