Stem cells have the ability to self-replicate. They can be used in medical therapy, organ transplant, and pharmacological development or testing. However, obtaining pluripotent stem cells from embryos, for research purposes, implies snatching away the lives of the embryos or foetuses. Scientists tend to deny that an embryo (even an early foetus) is a human being. The general suggestion is that research on the embryo can be carried out within fourteen days after the egg has been fertilised because the embryo at that stage does not have any senses or feelings and hence does not possess the significance of a human being ethically. Based directly on the belief that 'all sentient beings are equal', Buddhism emphasises that regardless of whether an embryo is a human being or not, as long as it is already a life form, using it constitutes the immoral act of killing. Furthermore, life actually begins at the time when the sperm and egg fuses. Although the embryo does not have the feeling of pain or pleasure, as its sensory organs have not fully developed, this does not mean that using such em...
