Pro-life atheists

[Ben Davis]

When does human life begin? If life begins early what is the greater argument, right to life or personal autonomy?

There are many different points in foetal development which could be considered. Let's start with the ones that are used in UK abortion law. In purely medical terms, 'life' begins ~18/19 weeks (when 'voluntary' movement is possible). 'Viability' comes when Sensory development completes ~week 23/24 with the full development of the nervous system. This is where abortion laws in the UK currently set limits: 'late term' is defined as 19 weeks+ with no elective abortions allowed after week 24. Only one premature birth in the UK has ever survived before week 24 and that baby was 23.5 weeks old.

However medical arguments have been made for 'life' beginning as early as ~week 6 with the development of neural hemispheres and the first brain wave activity. The end of the first trimester (13 weeks) also has its merits (most organs are developed by that stage).

The arguments which suggest conception as the start of life have no medical foundation.

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I would like to see abortion heavily restricted to when the pregnancy is proven to threaten the life of the mother and in the cases of rape.

So what mechanisms would you suggest to cope with or manage unwanted pregnancies?