ABSTRACT
In applied ethics, the issue of the moral status of human surplus embryos can be phrased in terms of the question: What ought (not) to be done to/with them, and why? Deryck Beyleveld, in his clear and thoroughgoing lecture on the moral and legal status of the human embryo, rightly points out that the answer to this question essentially depends on:
which characteristics are deemed necessary or sufficient for beings to be owed any duties of respect or concern for their interests or welfare, on the one hand, or rights in terms of their interests or welfare, on the other; and
on certain beliefs about the ontological status of the human embryo – its nature, capacities and powers. (Beyleveld, 1997, p.247)
