(from deathroe.com)
For years abortion proponents have raised the question of when human life begins. As a result terms like "potential human life" have been grabbed up by the media, abortion apologists and the like. But what is the truth about the beginings of life? Here is what experts across the medical and scientific spectrum are saying on the subject.
In a letter to the New York Times submitted February 14, 1973, noted fetologist, Dr. Landrum B. Shettles, accuses the Supreme Court of deny when human life begins. In the letter Dr, Landrum states:
"Concerning when life begins, a particular aggregate of hereditary tendencies (genes and chromosomes) is first assembled at the moment of fertilization when an ovum (egg) is invaded by a sperm cell. This restores the normal number of required chromosomes, 46, for survival, growth, and reproduction of a new composite individual. "By this definition a new composite individual is started at the moment of fertilization. However, to survive, this individual needs a very specialized environment for nine months, just as it requires sustained care for an indefinite period after birth. But from the moment of union of the germ cells, there is under normal development a living, definite, going concern. To interrupt a pregnancy at any stage is like cutting the link of a chain; the chain is broken no matter where the link is cut. Naturally, the earlier a pregnancy is interrupted, the easier it is technically, the less the physical, objective encounter. To deny a truth should not be made a basis for legalizing abortion."
The immediate product of
fertilization is a human being
fertilization is a human being
She begins with some basic facts about embryos:
"To begin with, scientifically something very radical occurs between the processes of gametogenesis and fertilization--the change from a simple part of one human being (i.e., a sperm) and a simple part of another human being (i.e., an oocyte--usually referred to as an "ovum" or "egg"), which simply possess "human life", to a new, genetically unique, newly existing, individual, whole living human being (a single-cell embryonic human zygote). That is, upon fertilization, parts of human beings have actually been transformed into something very different from what they were before; they have been changed into a single, whole humanbeing. During the process of fertilization, the sperm and the oocyte cease to exist as such, and a new human being is produced."
She then looks at the early stages of the development of babies, pointing out that they have traits particular to themselves and to human beings:
"This new single-cell human being immediately produces specifically human proteins and enzymes (not carrot or frog enzymes and proteins), and genetically directs his/her own growth and development. (In fact, this genetic growth and development has been proven not to be directed by the mother.) Finally, this new human being--the single-cell human zygote--is biologically an individual, a living organism--an individual member of the human species."
She is not alone in her observation. William J. Larsen, whose textbooks are used on college campuses across the country states in his book, Human Embryology (New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1997 pg. 20):
"… [W]e begin our description of the developing human with the formation and differentiation of the male and female sex cells or gametes, which will unite at fertilization to initiate the embryonic development of a new individual." (Emphasis added.)
The entire text of her article can be read here
Human life begins at conception—fertilization
The American College of Pediatriciansin an abstract titled, When Human Life Begins, states that it concurs with the body of scientific evidence that human life begins at conception—fertilization.
Further they say,
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"Virtually every human embryologist and every major textbook of human embryology states that fertilization marks the beginning of the life of the new individual human being."
Dr. C. Ward Kischer ,Professor Emeritus of Human Embryology of the
University of Arizona School of Medicine, American College of Pediatricians
Is the fetus a Baby?
According to testimony published in the Report of South Dakota Task Force to study abortion completed in December 2005, Dr. David Fu-Chi Mark, a nationally celebrated molecular biologist who has patented various polymerase chain reaction techniques, observed that until the development of molecular biology and modern molecular biological techniques,
"Most scientific knowledge concerning human identity and human development prior to birth was based solely upon gross morphological observations and biochemical studies. Over the past twenty years there have been extraordinary scientific medical and technological advances and discoveries which expose the rather rudimentary level of knowledge and ignorance of science, errors of fact and judgment concerning past scientific understanding of the child's existence as a human being, the child's early development and ability to react to the child's environment and feel pain prior to birth. The new techniques developed through the exploding revolution over the past twenty years permits scientists to observe human existence and development at a molecular level, which is applicable in determining genetic uniqueness, genetic diseases and related information through the analysis of human genes well in advance of the old gross, anatomical observation."
He further states, "There can no longer any doubt that each human being is totally unique from the very beginning of his or her life at fertilization."
"A human being at an embryonic age and that human being at an adult age are naturally the same, the biological differences are due only to the differences in maturity. Changes in methylation of cytosine demonstrate that the human being is fully programmed for human growth and development for his or her entire life at the one cell age."
Modern molecular biology has discovered that by the third cell division (long before implantation) all control of growth and development are established by the child's DNA. This means that immediately after conception, all programming for growth of the human being is self-contained.
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"(it is) generally accepted in medical circles that a fetus or embryo is a separate human being . . .Because abortion is a unique procedure in that a physician is terminating the life of one of her patients, the utmost care must be taken to make sure the woman deciding to proceed with such a termination is fully informed of this."
Dr. Yvonne Seger
Chairs the obstetrics and gynecology wing
Avera McKennan Hospital
Chairs the obstetrics and gynecology wing
Avera McKennan Hospital
Fertilization not Implantation marks
the beginning of human life
Patrick Lee, professor of bioethics at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, wrote an essay, The First Fourteen Days of Human Life, published in The New Atlantis that debates the use on non-implanted embryos for science.the beginning of human life
From the very beginning of their article these men attack the shaky foundation of the ethics behind the use of embryos for science:
"Most people, who point to implantation as the beginning of an individual human life, offer not the slightest bit of evidence to support their claim, relying instead on an alleged intuition. But since such intuitions can be matched by contrary intuitions, and since the alleged intuitions contradict the evidence supplied by embryological science, they have no evidential weight whatsoever."
They go on to artfully walk through the developmental stages of the embryo from day one through day six. Pointing out the fact that the events that occur are only a matter of the embryo maturing rather than experiencing events that cause a radical change of direction or purpose.
In conclusion they state:
"Science has not solved every mystery of early human development. But human embryology has advanced sufficiently to enable us to dismiss certain fallacies about when a new human life comes to be. We do not doubt the good faith of those who believe that individual life begins at implantation or after the powers of twinning and fusion have passed. But arguments advanced to support these beliefs collapse under scrutiny. We must not let the desire to use human embryos in research obscure our grasp of what those embryos truly are from day 1: namely, nascent members of the human species, worthy of that fundamental respect and protection that justice demands for every member of the human family."
The entire essay can be read by clicking here
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For those of you who have had an abortion in the past or are considering one now, PLEASE know that forgiveness can be found by getting right with your Creator. Visit here for more details.
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see also should a woman have an abortion if raped? -
Should'nt a woman whose baby is going to die anyway have an abortion. - is abortion safer than childbirth? and having an abortion is the toughest descision, you have no right to interfere
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