At what point does "Human" life begin?

[Jazzy]

Some believe human life begins at conception while others believe human life begins at childbirth. When do you feel human life begins and why?

 

[Evil Eye]

Once something starts moving I guess...

 

[Nebulous]

When their have their 1st brain function.

 

[Crusader]

When a baby doesn't have to rely on it's mother's womb to survive.

 

[Jazzy]

I say a new human life has begun when the male sperm cell and the female ovum unite resulting in fertilization to form the embryo.

 

[Bluezone777]

Life begins when it's capable of death. An embryo is alive because it can be killed via abortions.



I never quite got what was so hard to figure out unless you were just trying to twist around definitions of the word life to suit an ulterior motive such as rationalizing an abortion as not simply murder under a different name.

 

[Wingedkuri]

Life begins when it's capable of death. An embryo is alive because it can be killed via abortions.

Very true.



I was going to say when the child isn't solemnly dependent on the mother because of the small controversy over viruses being alive. Wow, that sounds really random! I'll guarantee it's at least a little relevant to this. OTL It makes a lot of sense if it can be considered alive if it could die though, haha.



I don't believe a specific function of any particular organ would make it alive since a lot of other life forms don't even have those and are considered living like bacteria and sea jellies. I guess when the human is capable of growing should I say?

 

[Temerit]

I say a new human life has begun when the male sperm cell and the female ovum unite resulting in fertilization to form the embryo.

Actually when fertilization occurs a zygote is formed and then it grows into an embryo.

Life begins when it's capable of death. An embryo is alive because it can be killed via abortions.

Not killed, terminated/removed. Pull an embryo out of a womb and it is no more. Same thing with a fetus.

because of the small controversy over viruses being alive.

Viruses are not alive.

I don't believe a specific function of any particular organ would make it alive since a lot of other life forms don't even have those and are considered living like bacteria and sea jellies.

The topic asks for when does HUMAN life begin.



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Personally I believe that the fetus must be able to respond to stimuli, and must be able to satisfy its own metabolism without reliance on another being. In the womb, the fetus is a parasite, absorbing nutrients, water and such from the host without offering the mother's body anything in return. This places the fetus more in line with fungi, although the umbilical cords is not exactly similar to the hyphae found in most fungi, it serves the same general purpose of absorbing nutrients from the host without offering anything in return. It is not a symbiotic relationship.

 

[The Dragon Master]

Personally I believe that the fetus must be able to respond to stimuli, and must be able to satisfy its own metabolism without reliance on another being. In the womb, the fetus is a parasite, absorbing nutrients, water and such from the host without offering the mother's body anything in return. This places the fetus more in line with fungi, although the umbilical cords is not exactly similar to the hyphae found in most fungi, it serves the same general purpose of absorbing nutrients from the host without offering anything in return. It is not a symbiotic relationship.

I agree. Other than the fact that, fetus after a few months can respond to certain stimuli from it's external enviroment (outside the womb).

 

[Wingedkuri]

Viruses are not alive.

I know.

I was just saying there was controversy over it since it can move, reproduce and change, it just can't do it without the support of a living cell. (From what I remember) Can't really wrap my words around that thought to make it sound like how I meant it, haha. I wanted it to refer to humans in a way. Parasite! That was one of the words I was looking for in that specific stage...



'Learning things new.

 

[Jazzy]

Isn't the zygote which consists of 46 chromosomes — 23 from the male and 23 from the female which determine the baby's sex, traits such as eye and hair color, personality, and intelligence not the beginning of human life as asked in the OP question?

 

[Evil Eye]

Personally I believe that the fetus must be able to respond to stimuli, and must be able to satisfy its own metabolism without reliance on another being. In the womb, the fetus is a parasite, absorbing nutrients, water and such from the host without offering the mother's body anything in return. This places the fetus more in line with fungi, although the umbilical cords is not exactly similar to the hyphae found in most fungi, it serves the same general purpose of absorbing nutrients from the host without offering anything in return. It is not a symbiotic relationship.

Leeches are alive, aren't they?

Isn't the zygote which consists of 46 chromosomes — 23 from the male and 23 from the female which determine the baby's sex, traits such as eye and hair color, personality, and intelligence not the beginning of human life as asked in the OP question?

In the technical sense, yes. But since they can't really have a life till they're born it's all about the kind of life you're asking about.

 

[Wingedkuri]

This is a great read: http://www.pregnantpause.org/develop/when.htm

Oh, that's really interesting! Thanks for the link.

 

[Jazzy]

Medical science has given us that answer. The magic moment is: conception. It is at that moment that the unique combination of chromosomes that define you first came into existance. Before conception, that blueprint did not exist anywhere; after conception, it did. From that point on, your body grew and developed, but -- unless you get an organ transplant or some such artificial addition -- nothing new is added except food, fluids, and oxygen. Scientifically, biologically, and medically, life begins at conception. (As stated in the link provided by +prince http://www.pregnantpause.org/develop/when.htm)



Do you agree or disagree with the medical science answer?

 

[The Dragon Master]

Medical science has given us that answer. The magic moment is: conception. It is at that moment that the unique combination of chromosomes that define you first came into existance. Before conception, that blueprint did not exist anywhere; after conception, it did. From that point on, your body grew and developed, but -- unless you get an organ transplant or some such artificial addition -- nothing new is added except food, fluids, and oxygen. Scientifically, biologically, and medically, life begins at conception. (As stated in the link provided by +prince http://www.pregnantpause.org/develop/when.htm)



Do you agree or disagree with the medical science answer?

From a scientific point of view, yes. Because conception gives the ability for a fetus to be developed. BUT, life is generally described as something that respires and makes energy, and moves. That doesn't happen at conception. This only happens after the egg cell has divided, and the cells start to become specialised, making an organism.



So yes, at conception there is a possibility for a new organism to be made, but in the sense of life, no as it doesn't 'live' like we do (making energy, heart beating etc).

 

[Temerit]

I can handle a pro-life person, but the people that really bug me are the fetus-loving types that are also war mongering, pro capital punishment, guns rights, pro-business, and homophones.

 

[Phazite]

I think a realistic way to look at this is this:



There is a gradient of being from unconsciousness to consciousness. In general it seems to be that consciousness is what is prized for a human life, but by definition the first cells that develop could probably be considered alive. On the unconscious end of the spectrum we have living cells and even bacteria that are part of the early human, but no conscious entity as a whole. Moving down the line, we could say that there is a smooth(?) transition from unconscious (though alive) matter to an entity with high thought functions.



So, is it okay to kill a vegetable? A bug? A fish? A potential human? A conscious human?



I hope my basic idea here is clear. I have more thoughts on this too, but must sort them out a little bit first.

 

[Evil Eye]

Being Human and being alive is to have a heartbeat and brain function, to breath...

So... when someone suffers a heart-attack they aren't human? When someone holds their breath they aren't human?

That's slightly odd...

 

[Evil Eye]

And having a heart attack, they are still alive! Until, unfortunately, their heart stops, they'd be dead, no?

They could be revived

You're trying to rationalize things to try to make sense of this,

Nah, I don't care to much about the argument, I believe there are occasions where it's necessary etc. but otherwise it's not that interesting, I'm just trying to make you write up better arguments.

but when it comes down to it, to be human and alive is to have an heartbeat and brain function, to breath...

I sure hope there's more to it than that, you just described every mammal on the planet.

 

[xneseyx]

I think that this is a question which not everyone will agree upon the answer to. it's mostly just a matter of opinion. I personally believe that life begins at conception.