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When Does a Human Life Begin?

Exploring the intersection of science and faith, this chapter delves into the question of when human life begins and various proposals for determining the beginning of unwanted human life. It encourages understanding and seeking truth.

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When Does a Human Life Begin?

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  1. Chapter 8 When Does a Human Life Begin?

  2. The Logic of Life • We all begin life somewhat like Adam and Eve did—as bodies no other human knows about in our first moments of existence, invisible to the human record. • By the time anyone knows about a new human life, it has already crossed the boundary from cell to organism, from a physical thing to a being, from science to faith. • The most intense intersection of faith and science lies in the quiet darkness of a mother’s womb, where two cells merge to become one living human organism. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  3. The Logic of Life sperm: The male reproductive cell. egg: The female reproductive cell. gametes: Each of the two haploid reproducive cells, male and female, which fuse to form a zygote in sexual reproduction. zygote: A germ-cell resulting from the union of two gametes. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  4. The Logic of Life • No one debates when an individual spider’s life begins. • No one debates when an individual puppy’s life begins. • No one debates when an individual chimp’s life begins. Without exception, the only beings subjected to such strange scrutiny about the beginning of their existence are unwanted human children. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  5. Various Proposals for the Beginning of Unwanted Human Life gastrulation: A phase in embryonic development when the blastula reorganizes into a three-layered gastrula; layers are ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. It occurs about two week after fertilization. “Twinning” occurs before gastrulation. blastula: An embryo at the early stage of development when it is a hollow ball of cells. monozygotic: Twins derived from a single fertilized egg. blastomeres: Cells that result from cleavage of a fertilized ovum. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  6. Various Proposals for the Beginning of Unwanted Human Life • Brain-life theory: Life begins when there is a functioning brain around the eight week of gestation. • Symmetry with the determination of “brain death.” • Brain waves measured with electroencephalograph (EEG). • Moves the beginning of life past the time when contraception would cause an abortion. • It is estimated that many, if not most, human organisms die before birth. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  7. Various Proposals for the Beginning of Unwanted Human Life • If we see children as gifts, then we see our fertility as a gift. • And if we see our fertility as a gift, then we ought to strive to understand our bodies. • If we understand our bodies, then we know its cycles. • If we know its cycles, then we have the best chance of knowing—even in the earliest days—when we are pregnant. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  8. Beware of Those Who Use Science for a Particular Agenda “The question of when a human life begins is a profoundly intricate one, with widespread implications, ranging from abortion rights to stem cell research and beyond. A key point in the debate rests on the way in which we choose to define the concepts of humanity, life and human life. What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be human? Is a zygote or an embryo alive? Is a zygote or an embryo a human being?” —Professor Scott F. Gilbert, Developmental Biology textbook author Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  9. Finding Clarity in the Beginning of Life from Faith “A child is not something owed to one but is a gift” (CCC, 2378). Children are gifts bestowed to parents. Since they are gifts from God, they are good. Like any gift, maybe they are surprises and maybe they are not fully appreciated at the moment of bestowing, but if parents freely give love unconditionally, they will see the immeasurable value in the gift of a child. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  10. Conception is a Beautiful Word “Life begins at conception.” Conception is a beautiful word fitting for the initiation of human life. Its etymon is the classicalLatin word conceptio, meaning the action or fact of conceiving in the womb. In postclassical Latin, it also meant comprehension, as in “to know”—not only to hold in your hands but to behold in your heart and mind. The word conception means literally “the action of first coming into being.” Life begins when we know it comes into being. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

  11. Seek to understand the truth. Chapter 8: When Does a Human Life Begin?

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