Inside the ‘Black Box’ of Human Development
June 6, 2016
(The Guardian) – This now looks set to change following two studies published last month, showing that it is possible to keep human IVF embryos alive and developing for up to 13 days after fertilisation. The scientists involved believed they could have gone further but stopped short because of the 14-day rule widely adopted around the world that states that no human IVF embryo should be allowed to live beyond this point outside a woman’s body. In Britain, breaching the 14-day rule is a criminal offence, but many scientists are questioning whether the law should be changed. Gastrulation is just too important, they say, to be left unobserved, unstudied and, ultimately, unknown.