Article 1 Psych 266

 For this weeks application, watch the Crash Course video on Pregnancy and Development (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtsSbZ85yiQ). As you are watching, listen for the following items. Your paper should include… 1. A general summary of the video 2. What the process of pregnancy and development is 3. Changes that occur in the mother during pregnancy 4. Include course content to support the video 5. Formatted in APA 

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Application 1

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Indiana State University

Application 1

The podcast covers human embryo research and a concept known as the ‘14-dayrule’, which means that embryos can no longer be grown in the lab after two weeks’ time. The reasoning behind this rule dates to 1979, when Leroy Waters, an ethicist on the Ethics Advisory Board, advised that 14 days should be the compromise between no embryonic research and research up until 8 weeks (McQuillan, 2016). He advised this amount of time because at 14 days, the primitive streak appears, marking the beginning of differentiation and proliferation of the embryo. This rule seemed reasonable because, at that time, labs didn’t possess the capability to grow an embryo beyond 14 days. Further, there was less moral debate about early embryos given that 50% of early embryos are sloughed off from the mother’s uterus anyway. For this reason, the 14-day rule became the international standard (McQuillan, 2016). Now, however, there is potential to continue growing the embryo past 14 days, and the pros and cons of embryonic research need to be revisited.

From a medical perspective, I realize that being able to research the development of an embryo beyond 14 days would be extremely interesting as there isn’t much research on development during that time period. This is because 1) most people don’t know they are pregnant yet and 2) it’s difficult to see what’s going on inside the body during that early stage. From an ethical perspective, though, I understand people’s hesitancy with embryonic research; just as with IVF babies, the fear is that reproduction will lead to a sort of manufacturing of babies rather than a natural process. Apart from IVF, I, like Molly and Robert, did not know that embryos could be grown in the lab. What I found most interesting is that there are certain things about development that no developmentalist knows due to the limitations of embryo research. I had assumed that developmentalists had limitless access to information by examining the embryo in the womb; I did not realize that in the early stages, it’s not possible to see many developmental changes with a camera. One of my concerns about the continuation of lab research, however, is that, even if researchers developed the environment necessary to support the embryo, the embryo would be developing in an environment much different from the one inside the womb. The environment in a lab is a sterile one, and the goal behind the development is scientific. The scientists want the embryo to thrive, but the intention is different than the one a parent would have. I wonder how this would impact the mental and physical development of the child. Additionally, just like in 1979, the question of when to stop research remains. When is it no longer appropriate to do research-at8 weeks when the first reflex occurs-or beyond that?

As we discussed in the course, the first few weeks of development, known as the embryonic period, is a time of rapid development. The embryo begins to respond to stimuli and all the organ systems are present by the end of the period (Kuther, 2020). Even if research ended at 8 weeks, this is a critical time of development, and a lab environment could severely impact developmental progress. I don’t think it’s right to treat an embryo as some sort of test, even if early embryos are sloughed off in the uterus. What happens when the embryo requires a more advanced environment to thrive? Embryos will inevitably die while developmentalists try to perfect a uterus-like environment, and, morally, I have concerns. Perhaps there is some other way of timing pregnancy and examining the embryo within the womb, but I don’t think it is right to grow an embryo specifically to examine development. I would need convincing reasons as to why this research is critical apart from curiosity. Additionally, there is the issue of epigenetics, which refers to the fact that environment can alter genetic makeup. What effect would a laboratory environment have on the development of embryos? How would laboratory nutrition differ from the nutrition an embryo receives in the womb? Would the embryo be more susceptible to teratogens given that they don’t have the protective womb environment? From fetal programming research, we know that development is most sensitive to damage during the embryonic period. Drugs, alcohol, and even maternal stress can impact temperament, infant health, and the likelihood of premature birth. As illustrated, the development of an embryo is extremely environment sensitive. Thus, I am hesitant to support the continuation of embryonic research in the lab.

References

Radiolab citation

McQuillan, A (Producer). (2016, Oct. 12). The primitive streak. [Audio podcast].

 Kuther, T. L. (2020). Lifespan development: Lives in context. Second edition. USA: Sage publishers. In-text Kuther, 2020, P. #