ABSTRACT
The German Embryonic Protection Act (EPA) came into force in 1991 and is seen as one of the most restrictive regulations worldwide for embryonic research. At the core of the EPA is Germany's constitutionally guaranteed protection of human dignity; yet the only protection to which the EPA makes reference is that of the embryo. The EPA also adopts Germany's prevailing view on freedom of research, and numerous exceptions contained in the act provide loopholes for embryo researchers. The EPA should also prevent the deliberate generation of clones as well as the splitting of embryonic cells capable of development for purposes of research and diagnosis. The EPA forbids the following activities: the production of pronuclei and embryos for research purposes, research using embryos that are "surplus" to reproductive medicine and have a "capacity for development," the use of embryos for nonmedical purposes, preimplantation diagnosis, cloning as well as chimeric and hybrid formation, surrogate motherhood, and sex selection of sperm.
