LAUSR

The article “ Consciousness in a Bioreactor? Science and Ethics of Potentially Conscious Human Cerebral Organoids ” (Zillo and Lavazza 2023) presents a thoughtful discussion on the potential ethical implications of Human Cerebral Organoids (HCOs). The authors argue that HCOs are a unique entity in the field of organoids as they have the potential to resemble a fundamental organ of the human organ-ism, which could potentially show signs of consciousness in the future. Given this, the authors recommend using a precautionary principle that avoids underestimating the moral status of HCOs. However, the authors also highlight that sentience is not the sole criteria for moral consideration and the amount of moral consideration a particular being deserves depends on the sort of being it is. They further argue that despite its human origin, an HCO is not structurally capable of becoming a human indi-vidual, and hence potential moral overestimation of HCOs should be avoided, especially if their use can lead to important therapeutic benefits for human beings. We believe that the authors ’ analyses and recommendations provide a valuable contribution to the bioethical science community. However, their claim that ontological considerations are also necessary when developing an ethical framework for HCOs raises important follow-up questions and implications. Namely, what are the ramifications