Ought Stem-Cell-Derived Embryonic Structures to be Treated as Embryonic Models or as True Embryos? Ethical Reflections on Personhood and the Imago Dei

ABSTRACT Embryoids parallel the early stages of embryonic development but originate from the culture of stem cells in 3D media rather than the fusion of egg and sperm. While embryonic personhood has been the subject of much debate over the last half century, no sustained discussion has yet occurred regarding embryoid personhood. This discussion is urgently needed, as embryoid research has quickly outstripped the guidance existing regulations are able to provide. This paper therefore begins a discussion on the moral status of embryoids, drawing primarily from Anglican moral tradition interpreted through a critical hermeneutic of the Imago Dei.