Ask a Bible college Student

[Rosie_Rivets]

But I still do not view fetuses as people until certain criteria are met, most of which happens in the third trimester. Viability outside the womb, higher brain function, etc.

There are plenty of mentally handicapped people who never develop "higher brain function". Yet we don't question their humanity. Viability outside the womb depends on what kind of medical technology we have to keep them alive, and that changes with time. I don't see how it makes logical sense for that to be what someone's humanity hinges on. 

Anyway, here's a picture of a baby girl born prematurely. This is not third trimmester. This in the middle of the second trimmester, at 23 weeks. To clarify, are you saying then that the thing in the picture is not a person?

By "higher brain function" I do not mean intelligence. I mean the human brain is developed and is regularly firing neurons, which happens around the end of the second trimester. Now, the one thing we might have in agreement is neither of us likes late term abortion because we both view the developing fetus as a person (or damn near it) at this point. The silver lining is that most women don't get abortions that far into pregnancy unless there is a medical necessity or a fetal anomaly. Frankly, I think medically unnecessary abortions should not be done at a certain point, as do most people. Women who simply don't want to be pregnant get abortions long before that fetus comes close to being a person. Who would want to go through 20 some weeks of pregnancy before terminating? 

If a fetus can survive outside the womb at 23 weeks and grow into a healthy baby, that's great. If a woman chooses to terminate because it's discovered there is something wrong around that time, I support that. There should be a line drawn in the sand somewhere around that area, though, IMO. Do I know *exactly* where that line should be? No. Many states have opted to go with 20 weeks unless there is a medical need. 

I think what I'm most trying to convey is that I do not believe "life begins at conception", nor do I believe a fetus is a person on par with those of us outside the womb until later in pregnancy. 

As for technology keeping people alive, sometimes there is no person left to be kept alive. For instance, brain dead people are just shells of who they once were. The brain is the seat of humanity and what makes us each unique. Our humanity should not hinge on simply being able to keep flesh alive.