Aren't they also destroyed by being discarded?
Bingo.
Is it an act of desecration if they are either destroyed and/or discarded?
We would probably disagree at what point 'real' life is created.
What we need is to set limits on how many embryos can be formed in vitro, i.e. no more than will be implanted, no "spare" embryos. That, and encouraging embryo adoption would eliminate the problem of discarding "leftover" embryos.
Some of them are adopted -- Snowflake babies
Many Americans do not want their tax money to be used
Agreed if the choice is to use them for research as opposed to just discarding them it only makes sense to use them. I just don't think that it should become a harvesting issue.
Agreed if the choice is to use them for research as opposed to just discarding them it only makes sense to use them. I just don't think that it should become a harvesting issue.
Yes.
It is unethical to create embryonic human beings outside of the womb because it places them in the category of a laboratory "material" and a marketable "commodity," which is inherently damaging to their human identity just as was chattel slavery. It is also unethical because it exposes them to elevated risk of injury or death.
The embryos who exist at this point should be implanted in adoptive mothers' wombs --- this has already been done to a tiny extent, but needs to be much more vigorously promoted and supported.
No more such embryos should be created.
The problem with handing them over as experimental subjects, is that the subjects cannot benefit from the research, have not consented, and will in fact be destroyed.