We should once again get the obvious question out of the way right up front. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s being described as a “groundbreaking advance.” Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology announced this week that they have created “synthetic” human embryos in their laboratory. If that announcement is giving you a queasy feeling, you’re not alone. But at least for now, these creators are saying that the embryos will not be implanted in human beings or matured to full development. They’re using them to study embryonic development in its earliest stages without the need for a human donor. In fact, they didn’t even use human sperm or eggs to create them. They were “grown” using modified stem cells. (The Guardian)

Scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells in a groundbreaking advance that side-stepped the need for eggs or sperm.

Scientists say that these model embryos – which resemble those in the earliest stages of human development – could provide a crucial window into the impact of genetic disorders and the biological causes of recurrent miscarriage.

However, the work also raises serious ethical and legal issues as the lab-grown entities fall outside current legislation in the UK and most other countries.

I don’t want to throw cold water on this project entirely because it sounds as if they are learning things with practical applications in the real world. Scientists are legally allowed to grow human embryos in the lab only up until the 14th day. From that point, until embryonic development reaches the stage where the mother can undergo a scan, they know very little about how the embryo develops. This research may help doctors better understand why some women experience recurrent miscarriages.

The doctors are also unsure if these synthetic embryos would be able to go on to develop a full set of organs even if they were given the chance to do so. But that’s sort of the point, isn’t it? They’re not sure. Even the creators of this technology don’t seem to fully understand what it is that they’ve cooked up. And even if there wasn’t an egg or a sperm involved, we’re still talking about a potential human life sitting in that laboratory dish.

To quell people’s concerns, the research team is reminding the public that it would be illegal to implant one of these embryos in a human womb and they assure us they have absolutely no intention of trying to do so. That sounds great, but they appear to be very close to having the capability to do it. And once that ability exists, you know it’s only a matter of time before somebody tries.

We were similarly assured during the development of gene-editing technology that it would never be used on actual babies. The entire medical field agreed on that point and declared the idea unethical. And that remained true until a scientist in China went ahead and did it anyway, editing the genes of twin baby girls in their mother’s womb. (He was later sentenced to three years in prison for his experiment.)

I understand that this sort of technology could advance medical science in some areas and potentially help couples with infertility issues in the future. But is this something we really want? Do you want people wandering around with no biological mother or father? Should some scientists with a bunch of test tubes replace the design work of God? (Or Mother Nature. Take your pick.) I realize how archaic and unscientific I must sound to many of you, but this just feels like we’re messing around with things we were never intended to delve into so deeply.