Primordial Stem Cell Regulation: Implications of Assisted Reproductive Technology Policies Among Nations

This article notes that primordial stem cell research is an important issue in the area of women's reproductive health as it involves experimentation with human reproductive tissue. One concern the author highlights is that the need for embryos to perform primordial stem cell research will lead to a pressuring of women to donate extra eggs while they are receiving fertility treatments. The author surveys policies guiding human embryo research in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France. She notes that whether or not human embryo research is found to be acceptable in a particular country depends on the moral and legal status of the embryo. The author also describes limitations on research and briefly compares primordial stem cell research policies to those guiding the use of foetal tissue in human germ cell research. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - Reproductive Freedom, International]