ACS #2 When Does Human Life Begin?

Before discussing any heated topic, semantics are key to clear and smooth communication. In the previous part of Abortion for Christians, we got the definitions of both Murder and Abortion in the context of this issue. Subsequently, we followed the logic and examined some abortion techniques and decided that Abortion, the intentional killing of a pre-born human, seems to be like it is murder. "Whoa, Jason! Why can't you just say it's murder?" I hear you, but if it is truly Murder, the premeditated, unjust killing of a human life, then a pre-born person must be proven to be fully human. This begs the question: When does human life begin? In this article, we will discuss the science behind human life and conception.

Is a Fetus Alive?

By all scientific analysis and definition, a fetus is alive and fully human. 96& (oops, I meant to say 96%) of scientists agree that life begins at conception, the union of sperm and egg, according to a study done by the National Library of Medicine. There are also legal consequences for harming a child in utero for both men and women, so life rights in utero are presupposed by the Law (except in the case of abortion, it seems).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36629778/

The requirements for biological life include 1. cell organization, a fetus is made of a great and complex organization of cells, as well as cell divisions working actively towards maturation. The next is 2. Reproduction, and the cells a fetus is made of, are reproducing at a very rapid rate. In the fetal stage of development, a human fetus cannot reproduce another human, but it has the guaranteed potential to do so given time, oxygen, and nutrition. A 1-year-old cannot reproduce another human either, so this argument is rather weak. Actually, we shouldn't even say it's a"potential human" but rather that it is a "human with vast potential".

The next requirement is 3. Growth and Development. Lo and behold, a fetus develops more complex organ systems and body parts, and at some point, just begins to gain mass. Another is 4. Energy use, and a fetus requires food to produce enough energy for itself to maintain and grow. The next requirement is 5. Maintaining Homeostasis, which a fetus does, considering if it is given the needs will live, metabolize energy, and grow. A fetus will also 6. Respond to Stimuli and can feel pain, as we will see later. The last two requirements are 7. Adaptation and Inheritance, which both a fetus has. A fetus has the inherited code from the mother and father and can adapt and develop.

A fetus, by all measures, is alive, but is it human?

When Does Human Life Begin?

Life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. Biblically speaking, human life (bearing God's Image) would begin when the soul is united with the flesh. For the secularist's sake, we will mainly leave this out of the discussion. I am not undermining Biblical authority, but am seeking to settle this within the worldview of the abortionist. The abolitionists claim to hold to science, so let's hold them to it! Most people's knowledge of this topic comes from a very one-sided presentation of the facts and repeated errors about abortion. The Conference on Abortion in 1967 could "find no point in time between the union of the sperm and egg, or at least the blastocyst stage, and the birth of the infant at which point we could say that this was not human life," and they continue "the changes ocurring between implantation, a 6-month fetus, a 6-week old infant, or a mature adult are merely stages of development and maturation" (emphasis mine). They could not find a point after the union of the sperm and egg that was not entirely human. The being was human from conception!

What About the Sperm and Ovum?

"But the sperm and egg are alive; what sets them apart from the fertilized ovum?" Sperm contains the entire genetic code of the father and has no other goal in its life than fertilization. The ovum contains all of the mother's genetic code and is, no question, part of her body. When the two meet, the 23 chromosomes from both join to create a unique being that has never existed before, with a unique genetic code that will never be repeated in another being. This being is fully equipped with a full package of genetic code that is preprogrammed and actively working towards the maturation and adulthood from the moment the two (sperm and egg) meet. Nothing has been added to this from conception till death: only nutrition, time, and oxygen. The entire human being is there, it just needs to develop and mature.

"Is it human at this point?" Well, would you say an adult came from a child? No, you would say that an adult was once a child in the past and has since grown and matured into an adult human. Everything the adult is was once compact in the child that was given time, nutrition, and oxygen to develop him. The same logic for an infant; it did not come from a zygote or a fetus; it once was a zygote and a fetus. The infant is simply a more developed and mature human who was once a fetus. The fertilized ovum is pretty much a zygote or the first stage after conception. "Is a fertilized ovum a human life?" Some say that it is just a blueprint for a human being, but is this correct terminology?

A blueprint is examined, followed, and then once the building is done, disposed of entirely. A blueprint does not transform into the building itself. A fertilized ovum is not a blueprint for a grocery store, but the grocery store in miniature. Given time, nutrition, and oxygen will grow into a full grocery store. This is the fertilized ovum, it is not a blueprint for the human. The blueprint is the genetic code that is already there and actively working. This is not a form of animal or plant life that develops into a human life, either. Fertilized seeds of plants and ova of animals and humans are, at the moment of conception, fully that plant, animal, or human. So no, the ovum, embryo, and fetus are not considered animal life until some arbitrarily decided stage of development.

Humans can only produce other human beings. This is very simple and basic, but also very true. When a man and woman have sex, they will always conceive a human being, it is not a fish, monkey, or dog. A plant seed will always develop into a plant of the same kind. A dog zygote will always develop into a dog. A horse fetus will always develop into a horse. A Human embryo will always develop and be born as a human being. God made it this way so that organisms can only reproduce by their kind (Gen 1:24).

Utero Development

During sex, the male ejects his sperm, and they swim through the uterine cavity into the fallopian tubes and surround the ovum. The female egg breaks the shell of her ovary, and then a sperm can penetrate the egg. At this very moment, the egg becomes fertilized. After fertilization, the fertilized ovum travels slowly back through the fallopian tube and, in about a week, would have multiplied and implanted within the walls of the uterus. Given time, oxygen, and nutrition, the fertilized ovum will develop into a human fetus, infant, and then on the path to an adult. The sperm and egg cells themselves are alive but have reached the peak of their individual development potential. Sperm is part of the father and bears the same genetic code, likewise for the egg and the mother. Nutrition, time, and oxygen will add nothing to either cell alone, and in time, the sperm or egg would eventually die. The only way they can continue is fertilization, which results in an entirely different being being created. This new being is entirely different than the sperm and egg, and the mother and father. It has its own specific genetic code packed with programming for a fully developed adult human. It may live, and it may die, but it will always be heading toward development and maintain its uniqueness.

Is this single cell a human being? A fertilized ovum will divide into multiple cells, all working towards the same goal of specialized organization and human maturation into a unified complex human being. None of us came from a fertilized ovum, but rather we all were once a fertilized ovum. To say an adult came from a child makes no sense. The adult was once a child, who was once a toddler, who was once an infant, who was once a pre-born infant, who was a fetus, who was an embryo, who was a zygote. These are all titles for stages of development. To simplify speech, we don’t directly identify the subject of development in conversation because it is most likely already in the context (hence we say “fetus” and “zygote” without specifying if it is a human sometimes). Some people play semantics here and try to trap people in their own words, but stay strong to your definitions. Accurately speaking, these titles must have an identifier to complete the thought. Thus, it is a human (then the stage of development). A human fetus, a human zygote, a human embryo, a human adult. The same for all organisms, a cow fetus, a dog embryo, a whale zygote.

This New Being Is Like No Other

The zygote is not simple, it contains a long genetic code (3.1 Billion Base Pairs) that is brand new and not in any way identical or reproducible, a requirement for life. Its development is completely independent of the mother's will. The Father of Feteology, Dr. Liley says this: “seven days after fertilization the young individual, in command of his environment and destiny with tenacious purpose, implants in the spongy lining and with display of physiological power suppresses his mother's menstrual period… …the embryo develops a placenta and protective capsule of fluid for himself. He also solves, single-handed the homograft problem, that dazzling feat by which fetus and mother, although immunological foreigners who could not exchange skin grafts nor safely receive blood from each other, nevertheless tolerate each other in parabiosis for nine months… …He is responsive to pain and touch and cold and sound and light. He drinks his amniotic fluid, more if it is artificially sweetened, and less if it is given an unpleasant taste. He gets hiccups and sucks his thumb. He wakes and sleeps. He gets bored with repetitive signals, but can be taught to be alerted by a first signal for a second different one. And finally, he determines his birthday, for unquestionably the onset of labor is a unilateral decision of the fetus… …This is the fetus we look after in modern obstetrics, the same baby we are caring for before and after birth, who before birth can be ill and indeed diagnosis and treatment just like any other-patient?` (Liberal Studies, A Case Against Abortion, Whitcombe & Tombs, Ltd., 1971.)” (an excerpt from “The Abortion Handbook”: https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Abortion-Dr-Mrs-Willke/dp/B002EIWS38).

"A fetus cannot survive apart from the dependence of the mother," you may say. A 1-year-old cannot survive apart from parental dependence, and dependence does not constitute value (will see in “Common Arguments for Abortion”).

Conclusion

Without a doubt, the moment of conception is the beginning of both life and human life. To deny this blatant fact of biology is to deny a known part of reality, the essence of close-mindedness. If you find yourself brainwashed to deny this, then this should be a moment of self-reflection for any of us under this deception. If murder is the killing of an innocent human life, then induced abortion is exactly that. From the moment the sperm and the egg meet, a brand new line of genetic code is created. All packed with the programming for a fully developed human being. We would not say an adult came from a child, likewise, we wouldn't say an infant came from a fetus. The sperm and egg are not human life in their entirety, for many factors that set them apart from the fertilized ovum as already been discussed.

Biblically speaking, life begins at conception. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139: 13-16)"

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart, and I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)" Moreover, in Luke chapter 1, John the Baptist is filled with the Spirit while being in the womb, displaying God's value of unborn lives. You cannot win the debate on justifying abortion by using the Bible. Neither can you with modern science. 

I pray that the value of God's Image can make a true impact on you the way God meant it to. May you accept the loving grace of Jesus Christ, and humble yourself before Him and accpet the forgiveness of all sin, even abortion. May that image be refocussed on the Tre Living God, Jesus Christ. Amen.