Flashcards on Bioethical Status of the Human Embryo
Bioethical Status of Human Embryo: Identity & Rights Explained
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Human embryo status
15 cards
Card 1
Question: According to the text, what basic question can every human being ask about their existence relevant to the embryo's status?
Answer: When did I begin? The body is an essential component of the human I, so one begins when one’s body begins.
Card 2
Question: From a phenomenological and biological retrospective point of view, when does the body (and thus the human individual) begin?
Answer: At the moment of fusion of the gametes (fertilization), when the zygote is formed.
Card 3
Question: What immediate change occurs during fertilization that supports identifying a new biological unit?
Answer: The oocyte and sperm interact to form a new combined system that functions as a new unit rather than a sum of two subsystems.
Card 4
Question: What is identified as the biological center or coordinating structure of the one-cell embryo?
Answer: The new genome present in the one-cell embryo, which contains the information guiding development and specifies individuality.
Card 5
Question: How does the text describe the genome’s role in the one-cell embryo?
Answer: As a frozen memory or design-project that provides essential and permanent information for the gradual and autonomous realization of the organism’s fo
Card 6
Question: What is meant by the one-cell embryo being 'intrinsically determined to reach its specific final form' ?
Answer: Given necessary conditions, the embryo is programmed to develop progressively into a complete organism following its genomic plan.
Card 7
Question: Which three biological properties characterize the developmental process from zygote to organism in the text?
Answer: Coordination, continuity, and gradualness.
Card 8
Question: Explain 'coordination' in embryonic development as described in the text.
Answer: A succession of molecular and cellular activities guided by the genome and signaling interactions produces a coordinated expression of thousands of ge
Card 9
Question: Explain 'continuity' in embryonic development as described in the text.
Answer: If required conditions are met, the vital cycle beginning at fertilization proceeds without interruption; the same individual develops through success
Card 10
Question: Explain 'gradualness' in embryonic development as described in the text.
Answer: The organism acquires its final form through gradual transitions from simple to increasingly complex forms, maintaining identity and individuality fro