In an effort to further the conversation on whether or not life begins at conception, I offer these thoughts. When going throught the invetro fertilization process, several eggs are fertalized knowing full well they will not all go to term. The reason is that it is not a fool-proof process, and at best you can expect to get is a 50/50 rate. That's not to say that they won't all develop into fetuses, as the infamous 'octo-mom' case demonstrates.
When my wife and I went through the process, she had two embryos implanted in the process. They both took at first, but one did not make it past 10 weeks. Should we be charged in the death of this unborn child? Afterall, we were directly responsible for the events that lead to this child's death, knowing full well it might not survive, but we chose to do so anyway. We were responsible for its existence, and even though it wasn't through malice nor our intent to kill, we were responsible for its death.
The issue should not be about whether or not 'life' begins at conception, as that is an inadequate defintion for the subject at hand. The issue is when does our humanity begin, and at what lengths will we go to to enforce that every potential life be taken to full term once it has begun.
When my wife and I went through the process, she had two embryos implanted in the process. They both took at first, but one did not make it past 10 weeks. Should we be charged in the death of this unborn child? Afterall, we were directly responsible for the events that lead to this child's death, knowing full well it might not survive, but we chose to do so anyway. We were responsible for its existence, and even though it wasn't through malice nor our intent to kill, we were responsible for its death.
The issue should not be about whether or not 'life' begins at conception, as that is an inadequate defintion for the subject at hand. The issue is when does our humanity begin, and at what lengths will we go to to enforce that every potential life be taken to full term once it has begun.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
