When Does Life Begin Essay Example

on this argument. I believe life begins at the point of conception or fertilization.

However, I do believe abortion should be accepted under certain circumstances, such as proven cases of rape, incest, or if the pregnancy seriously threatens the life of the mother. There are many different views as to when human life begins, according to the National Right to Life website, “The life of a baby begins long before he or she is born. A new individual human being begins at fertilization, when the sperm and ovum meet to form a single cell. If the baby's life is not interrupted, he or she will someday become an adult man or woman. This is the belief many biological experts share, along with pro-life advocates and supporters (7, NPG).

Another belief is that human life begins at 22 weeks into a pregnancy that is when brain activity begins. This view point is based on the definition of death; death is defined from a medical standpoint as when the brain ceases to have activity. Dr. David A Jones Director of Bioethics at Oxford stated, “If the point of death is defined as a lack of electrical activity in the brain's cerebral cortex one might use the same criteria to define the start of human life.

One might argue that fetal life becomes human person when electrical activity commences in the cerebral cortex. Human personhood, would then start when consciousness begins and ends when consciousness irrevocably ends (2, NPG). ” Another belief is that human life begins at 15 weeks into gestation. This belief is based on the facts that miscarriages or spontaneous abortions generally occur fairly early in the pregnancy

usually before the 15 week mark. Given this fact many believe that if nature can decide to abort the baby early in the pregnancy the mother should be given the same right as nature.

Ruth Colker of Indiana University summarized this belief best when she said, “One might argue that the fetus is not potential life until nature has determined the true potentiality of that life by deciding whether to abort the fetus spontaneously. At a minimum, I would argue that a woman should have control over this period of spontaneous abortion (usually lasting until week 13 or 15 of the pregnancy) by deciding whether she wants to choose an elective abortion (2, NPG). " Finally there are a select few pro-choice supporters who believe that human life does not begin until the baby leaves the womb of the mother during birth.

With this belief no human rights are given to any unborn fetus, therefore the mother has the right to abortion at any point during the pregnancy. However this belief is not medically accepted for legal abortions, a doctor in the United States will only perform an abortion after 22 weeks if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. Outlined below are a few facts of fetal development from the New England Journal of Medicine article titled The Limits of Viability.

• 7 Days- Fetus implants into mother’s uterus
• 18 Days- Heart begins to beat 21 Days- Begins pumping its own blood through closed circulatory system
• 28 Days- Eye, ear, and respiratory system form
• 8 Weeks- All bodily systems are present
• 16 Weeks- Sex of fetus clearly defined
• 22 Weeks- Brain waves recorded in Cerebral Cortex
  

(3, pg. 1597)

In conclusion we as human beings have all been through the development process in our mother’s womb. However human beings as a whole can still not agree on when we earn our right to life. We will continue to ask ourselves for years to come when human life begins?

I believe we will never be able to scientifically prove one belief from another, or classify just one belief as correct. I found no articles in the Detroit Free Press or in The Guardian newspaper relating to my topic for this paper.

Works Cited

1. Gargaro, Carolyn. "Abortion - My Views as a Pro-Life Woman - by Carolyn Gargaro. " [[ - - Carolyn Gargaro's Web Site - Home of a Conservative Female! - - ]]. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www. gargaro. com/abortion. html>.
2. Jones, David A & Colker, Ruth. "Ethical Views on Abortion That Are Neither Pro-life or Pro-choice. " Religious Tolerance. 2006. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. lt;http://www. religioustolerance. org/abo_argu. htm>.
3. M. Allen. , "The Limits of Viability. " New England Journal of Medicine. 11/25/93: Vol. 329, No. 22, p. 1597.
4. "Pro-Choice Abortion. " Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues. org. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www. allaboutpopularissues. org/pro-choice-abortion. htm>.
5. "The 2012 Statistical Abstract. " Census Bureau Homepage. United States of America, 23 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www. census. gov/compendia/statab/>.
6. Thomson, Judith J. "A Defense of Abortion. " Philosophy & Public Affairs 1. 1 (1971): 47-66. Print.
7. "When Does Life Begin? "