Here are a few theories:
-Pro-life groups claim that life begins as
soon as a sperm fuses with an egg, and therefore as a future human being, the
embryo has rights and interests.
-Ian Wilmut, the creator of Dolly the sheep, sustains that life begins
after 14 days with the development of the spinal column.
-Jonathan Glover, director of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics at
King's College London, argues that life begins with the beginning of consciousness.
All these arguments have led to a number of controversial issues: birth
control pills, DIU, abortion and the day after pill. About the last one pro-life
and religious groups claim that the day after pill is abortive and it is
killing a future human being because it prevents sperm fuses with an egg.
I personally take Wilmut’s side and agree on life beginning with the backbone, but I don’t
discredit the other theories because there is no reason to claim one is right and the other one is wrong.
As I said above this is personal, so when does life begin to you?
First of all, I didn't really get Ian Wilmut's theory. Does life beging 14 days after the sexual intercourse? Or 14 days after the spine is developed?
ReplyDeleteWell, personally I think that life begins when a fetus has actually developed most human features. What I mean is that as long as the fetus hasn't developed its arms, legs, heart, stomach, brain, etc. it is not a human being: it is just a kind of cell that resides inside a woman's body, and therefore it can be removed from a woman's body, just like skin cells are removed when you get your face or body exfolliated.
From the theories you've presented, I would take Jonathan Glover's because it's the most similar to my point of view.
According to Wilmut life begins after 14 days after the sexual intercourse. At this stage the spinal column starts to develop.
DeleteI once heard that if we consider a man dead when it's brain functions don't work anymore, why shouldn't we consider a man alive when its brain functions start? After a long discussion on that topic, I realized that the person who said it had a strong point; in spite of that, for me life begins when the heart starts beating. It is not a religious opinion, it is only what I consider life.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that it's our own choice to decide what we consider life and , although we can share it with the world, we shouldn't try to force people to believe the same as we do.
I agree on you that no one should force you to believe the same as you do. This is a free world and everyone should be respected no matter what his/her opinion be
DeleteI noticed I had a spelling mistake in the first line of my comment.
ReplyDeleteIt was supposed to be: "Does life BEGIN 14 days after the sexual intercourse?"
Silly mistake.
This will probably take to a never-ending debate about abortion as well; some people--me included--believe that life starts once both gametes (sexual cells) merge and become one whole being, and this is the reason why I consider abortion as murder. Why not giving that child in adoption instead of killing a defenseless creature who has not had the chance for even starting to live? There are many people longing for being parents as children looking for Mommy and Daddy.
ReplyDelete