In September 2004 the National Ethics Council spoke out unambiguously against reproductive cloning in its opinion "Cloning for reproductive purposes and cloning for biomedical research purposes" (see Module 16). Despite diverging views among the members of the National Ethics Council, the opinion recommends that at the present time cloning for research purposes should also not be permitted in Germany. In this context there were essentially three different votes:

1. Retention of the ban on research cloning
2. Limited authorisation of research cloning
3. Ban on research cloning at the present time.

In 2001 the National Ethics Council published an "Opinion on the import of human embryonic stem cells". Despite their disagreement on the question as to "whether the embryo in its earliest stage is a bearer of human dignity and what consequences are to be drawn for its entitlement to the protection of life", the members of the National Ethics Council concurred that "the dignity of the human being prohibits the use of embryos prior to nidation for arbitrary purposes". Taking as a point of departure "two systematising outlines" of arguments for and against the generation of human embryonic stem cells and of arguments for and against their importation, four "assessment options in the import question" are defined.