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The debate around embryonic stem cells research is sensitive and controversial. Is it ethically acceptable to destroy the blastocyst? Many Christians believe that it is not and in order to respect every one of God’s children, they sustain that each created zygote is completely deserving of protection and ought not to be destroyed. To destroy a developing human at any stage is then comparable to murder. Most of the ethical debate around embryonic stem cell research is centered on the moral status of embryos and fetuses, as well as the significance of the source of embryonic or fetal material. Use of adult stem cells seems morally unproblematic from this point of view.
Opponents of embryonic stem cell research have argued that it involves the deliberate destruction of an embryo, and this is morally wrong, because embryos have the same moral status as human persons. When Robert Edwards (one of the pioneers of in vitro fertilization) saw Louis Brown, the world's first baby to be conceived by in vitro fertilization stated: "The last time I saw her she was just eight cells in a test-tube. She was beautiful then, and she is still beautiful now!” " This shows the continuity of the person he knew “then” and the person he knows “now.” Therefore the human life begins at conception. Concerning the use of fetal tissue, opponents argue that use of this tissue is morally problematic because it comes from abortive procedures.
Orthodox Christianity’s viewpoint is that the human person is created in the image and likeness of God and the purpose of life is theosis, which is God-likeness in union and communion with others. Gregory of Nyssa stated: