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# Embryo research, stem cells and cloning

- Topic

Research on human embryos may bring new therapies, but it collides with different views on the embryo's moral worth.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- The core conflict: the expected benefit of research versus the moral status of the embryo.
- The 14-day rule: the classic limit on embryo culture, linked to the appearance of the primitive streak.
- Oviedo Convention, art. 18: where the law allows research on embryos in vitro, it must protect them; creating embryos for research is prohibited.
- UNESCO Declaration on the Human Genome (1997), art. 11: reproductive cloning of human beings shall not be permitted.
- Colombian Criminal Code: art. 133 (repeatability of the human being, cloning) and art. 134 (fertilisation of and trafficking in embryos).
- Induced pluripotent cells: an alternative that does not destroy embryos, though it does not settle every question.

## What it is

Embryonic stem cells come from early embryos, almost always spare embryos from in vitro fertilisation, and can become almost any tissue. They promise therapies and knowledge about development, but obtaining them destroys the embryo. The debate turns on the moral status given to the embryo: full from conception, growing with development, or no intrinsic worth of its own at an early stage. Induced pluripotent stem cells, made from adult cells, avoid part of the conflict. Reproductive cloning (creating a human genetically identical to another) is rejected almost everywhere; cloning for research divides opinion. In Colombia the Criminal Code punishes cloning human beings and fertilising eggs for purposes other than procreation, with an exception for research with a therapeutic purpose.

## Structure

- Full status from conception: the embryo deserves the same protection as a person; destroying it for research is not justified by its benefits.
- Gradual status: moral worth grows with development; research on very early embryos may be justified under strict controls.
- No intrinsic status at an early stage: the preimplantation embryo deserves symbolic respect but not rights; benefits to patients weigh more.
- Spare embryos versus embryos created for research: many accept using those that would be discarded and reject creating them for that purpose.
- The guidelines of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR, 2021, updated in 2025) sort research into permitted, subject to specialised review, not currently permitted and prohibited.

## In clinical practice

- People who donate spare embryos to research must give consent separate from their consent to fertility treatment.
- Be wary of commercial offers of «stem cell therapies» without approved clinical trials and advise patients on their risks.
- Every study with embryos or derived cells needs approval from a research ethics committee.

## Legal framework in Colombia

- Law 599 of 2000 (Criminal Code), art. 133: punishes anyone who creates identical human beings by cloning or any other procedure.
- Criminal Code, art. 134: punishes fertilising human eggs for purposes other than procreation, without prejudice to scientific research, treatment or diagnosis with a therapeutic purpose for the human being studied; also trafficking in gametes, zygotes or embryos.
- Criminal Code, art. 132: punishes manipulating human genes for purposes other than treatment, diagnosis or research aimed at relieving suffering or improving health.
- Texts checked on 2026-11-13 in Jurinfo, the official legal compilation of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. Colombia is not a party to the Oviedo Convention.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Why is research with embryonic stem cells controversial?

Because obtaining them destroys the embryo, and views differ on the moral status it deserves.

## What does art. 18 of the Oviedo Convention prohibit?

Creating human embryos for research purposes; it also requires protecting the embryo where the law allows research on it.

## What does art. 133 of the Colombian Criminal Code punish?

Creating identical human beings by cloning or by any other procedure.

## What ethical advantage do induced pluripotent stem cells have?

They are made by reprogramming adult cells, without destroying embryos.

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## Connections

## Related 5

- [Moral status: who counts, the five theories and degrees](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/moral-status-who-counts-the-five-theories-and-degrees/)
- [The ethics of assisted reproduction](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/the-ethics-of-assisted-reproduction/)
- [Human genome editing](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/human-genome-editing/)
- [Resolution 8430 of 1993: health research in Colombia and its risk categories](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/resolution-8430-of-1993-health-research-in-colombia-and-its-risk-categories/)
- [Research ethics committees](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/research-ethics-committees/)

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Educational content on ethics and health law; not legal advice. Laws and case law change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, read the text in force and ask a lawyer or the medical ethics tribunal.

Sources: [Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (ETS No. 164)](https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=treaty-detail&treatynum=164) (Council of Europe, 1997); [Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights](https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/universal-declaration-human-genome-and-human-rights) (UNESCO, 1997); [ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation](https://www.isscr.org/resources/guidelines-for-stem-cell-research) (International Society for Stem Cell Research, 2025); [Ley 599 de 2000, Código Penal](https://jurinfo.jep.gov.co/Normograma/Compilacion/docs/ley_0599_2000.htm) (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, Jurinfo, 2000).

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