Science and the Unborn:

...He is the author of the forthcoming Surrogate Motherhood: The Ethics of Using Human Beings (Crossroad...

...Although we know what the eventual outcome will be, exactly what the embryo is at each state is conditional, in Grobstein's judgment, on its capacities at that level...

...The information in the chapters is complemented by a comprehensive series of appendices and charts that provide more detail...

...Grobstein himself recognizes this could lead to some qualifications of the availability and timing of abortions...

...Also, "potential, therefore, is not to be equated with a current existence but with a contingent future...

...It is also a "rapidly moving target...

...Thomas A. Shannon In this book, Clifford Grobstein, emeritus professor of biology and public policy at the University of California (San Diego), makes another of his frequent and valuable contributions to the debate over the public-policy implications of technological developments...

...Third, he takes seriously the reality of the developmental nature of the embryo-with respect to what one can and cannot say about it at a given stage- and also considers seriously the implications of that for policy...

...What that scientifically defined nature is REVIEWERS PAUL BAUMANN is an editorial writer for The Day in New London, Connecticut...

...I feel a bit awkward about making such criticisms, for Grobstein presents an exceptionally responsible and even conservative view of the status of the fetus...

...and how it is established scientifically are problems not fully resolved by Grob-stein...

...While explicitly recognizing that scientific facts cannot dictate policy, Grobstein seems to infer philosophical statements from such facts and comes very close to letting them set policy...

...Thus the other significant dimension of the book is his discussion of the implications of biological development for public policy...

...First, as already noted, is the superb overview of contemporary embryology...

...For example, "the nature of a single human cell cannot be confused scientifically with the very different entity that is the far more highly organized newborn.'' Therefore, Grobstein can conclude that "based on its scientifically established nature, the pre-embryo does not rationally require the same status as a newborn with respect, for example, to assured continuance of its yet quite limited individuality" (emphasis in the original...

...Grobstein seriously engages the biological realities of the developing embryo, uses these data to discriminate among the various stages, and carefully considers how one might regard such an entity and what consequent public policy might be...

...There are three features of this work that are especially valuable...

...Grobstein wrestles with the difficult question: Given what we know of the human embryo developmentally, what can we claim about its status and, therefore, what might responsible public policy look like...

...How is the contingency of the potentiality understood, and philosophically might not such potential also run in reverse and possibly require modification of the policy Grobstein suggests with respect to pre-embryos...

...that is, it is in a rapidly developing state, with different biological features present in each...

...PAUL wilkes, the author of By Those Who Knew Him Best, wrote, directed, and co-produced the PBS documentary, ''Merton.'' His profile of a parish priest appeared in a recent New Yorker...

...Thus, when Grobstein says, "pre-embryos are not persons in the usual sense of the term," he may well be correct biologically, but is he correct philosophically...

...While not all sections are equally accessible, in general the book is directed at those who want to learn about current developments in embryology and are willing to expend some intellectual energy...

...THOMAS A. SHANNON is professor of religion and social ethics in the department of humanities at Worcester Polytechnic Institute...

...Such status claims are important, for, as Grobstein notes, "status confers rights protective of the interests of individual members...

...Yet not all will be happy with his conclusions...

...Grobstein does not deny biological reality in the interest of ideology...

...True enough, but the question is, potential for what...

...entities in research...

...Most remarkably, he does this in language that will be understandable to a rather wide audience...

...And that is the nub of the problem running through the whole book: Whence actually comes the status Grobstein accords the fetus in its various phases of development...

...But the book is much more than that, for in this biological context, Grobstein discusses and makes claims about the status of the human embryo...

...Thus, "pre-embryos are not persons," but they have "substantial values.'' Such statements, I submit, are not those of a biologist...

...That is the unexplained philosophical problem in the text, especially when the author relies on experimental data to secure these claims...

...She is reviewing regularly for the New York Times Book Review, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit News, and other media...

...Grobstein brings to bear his resources as a biologist and provides an overview of the best contemporary information on the development of the human embryo...

...Yet, he also argues for the possibility of research on fetuses as well as the use of their tissues...

...Thus developmental status is critical for Grobstein in discussing status...

...Such a conclusion follows from his biological developmental methodology, but it is unclear why this is philosophically correct...

...Grobstein's approach prohibits any cavalier dismissal of the developing human embryo, but allows the responsible use of such entities in research...

...The particular problem posed by the embryo is not only that it is an enigma in its own right...

...To express this discomfort-and I think the issue is a fairly substantive one-is not to dissent from the conclusions of the book, especially the high status accorded to the fetus that is the basis of a quite responsible public-policy proposal for the treatment of the fetus...

...nonetheless, I do not think the data quite secure the claims...

...THE EMBRYO'S CONTINGENT FUTURE SCIENCE AND THE UNBORN Choosing Human Futures Clifford Grobstein Basic, $18.95, 224 pp...

...Second is Grobstein's appreciation of the reality he is discussing: "the embryo is alive, human, genetically individual, and with the potential to become a future person in the full sense...

...Thus the book is extremely valuable as an introduction to modern embryology...

...it is a model of a calm, reasoned, and comprehensive approach to an exceptionally difficult problem: the status of the human embryo...

...For example, "it would be premature to grant rights as a person to an entity so incomplete as an embryo...

...The argument is cast and developed clearly and logically...

...BARBARA A. BANNON is the former Forecasts Editor of Publishers Weekly...

...Readers will have a deeper appreciation of the marvel of fertilization and consequent fetal development after reading this book...