. The Protection Of The Human Embryo In Vitro. Strasbourg, , 2003.

Reflecting on ethical questions concerning the protection of the human embryo in vitro and the use of medically assisted procreation have formed an important part of the Council of Europe's work in bioethics for nearly fifteen years. The extent of this reflection is a measure of the complexity and difficulty of the ethical questions concerned, of the significant scientific developments that have taken place over that period, and of the evolution of opinion on these difficult matters. In 1989, the Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Bioethics (CAHBI), the predecessor to the current Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI) issued a report on human artificial procreation. Although not a legally binding text, that report set out a number of principles that were useful as a source of guidance to member States in an area which was still at a relatively early stage of development.