The Ethics of Fetal Research

"The Ethics of Fetal Research" distinguishes between the legal and ethical questions raised by experimentation on still-living human fetuses. Paul Ramsey first outlines the various types of fetal research now being done and grants their potential benefits. He then describes the development of proposed American guidelines up to the National Research Act, passed by Congress in 1974, and compares these guidelines with England's recent "Peel Report." In considering the moral and ethical problems involved in fetal research, Ramsey deals with ways in which medical policy is formulated in the United States.