However, the fact so many are now carried out is causing increasing ethical concern.

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For developing treatments that involve transplanting stem cells from adults, there is no ethical concern about the use of embryos, Lee said.

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Another problem is the prospect that the present bill may clear the way for patents to be issued for inventions of human organisms - a moral and ethical concern of the first order.

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"Our main concern always was to take an ethical stance and to do no harm to any revenue streams of programme makers or broadcasters, " Roger Evans told the BBC.

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