The Beginning of Life

생명윤리 영어 시간에 썼던 글

The Beginning of Life

The abortion debate rests on the moral status of the unborn: if the unborn are fully human, then nearly every abortion performed is tantamount to murder. Most "pro-choice" advocates argue, however, that although the unborn entity is human, it is not a person and hence not fully human. Those who argue in this fashion defend either a decisive moment or gradualist approach to the status of the unborn.

Decisive moment supporters’ view argue that, although human life does begin at the moment of conception, it is at some later stage in the unborn human's development that it becomes worthy of our protection. It is at this moment that it becomes a person. Other philosophers take a gradualist position and argue that the unborn human gradually gains more rights as it develops. Hence, a zygote has less right than a 6-month-old fetus, but this fetus has less right than an adult woman.

 Pregnancy begins at conception, the time at which the male sperm and the female ovum unite. What results is called a zygote, a one-celled biological entity, a stage in human development through which each of us has passed. But, it is a misnomer to refer to this entity as a "fertilized ovum." For both ovum and sperm, which are genetically each a part of its owner (mother and father, respectively), cease to exist at the moment of conception. There is no doubt that the zygote is biologically alive. It fulfills the four criteria needed to establish biological life: (1) metabolism, (2) growth, (3) reaction to stimuli, and (4) reproduction. There is cell reproduction and twinning, a form of asexual reproduction, which can occur after conception.

The facts clearly reveal that it is. First, the human conceptus that which results from conception and begins as a zygote is the sexual product of human parents. Second, it is a unique human individual, just as each of us is. Resulting from the union of the female ovum (which contains 23 chromosomes) and the male sperm (which contains 23 chromosomes), the conceptus is a new, although tiny, individual. It has its own unique genetic code (with forty-six chromosomes), which is neither the mother's nor the father's. From this point until death, no new genetic information is needed to make the unborn entity a unique individual human. Her (or his) genetic make-up is established at conception, determining her unique individual physical characteristics such as gender, eye color, bone structure, hair color, skin color, susceptibility to certain diseases, etc. That is to say, at conception, the genotype is established and will remain in force for the entire life of this individual. The only thing necessary for the growth and development of this human organism (as with the rest of us) is oxygen, food, and water, since this organism, like the newborn, the infant, and the adolescent, needs only to develop in accordance with her already-designed nature that is present at conception. We once were a zygote. We also were an embryo and a fetus. Consequently, each one of us has experienced these various developmental stages of life. None of these stages, however, imparted to us our humanity.

From the eighteenth day after conception, substantial development of the brain and nervous system occurs. This is necessary because the nervous system integrates the action of all the other systems. By the end of the twentieth day the foundation of the child's brain, spinal cord, and entire nervous system will have been established. Human embryo completed in just 6 weeks after conception. All the parts have been in place for two weeks, and brain waves are now detectable. And second month, despite its small size, the unborn child now looks distinctly human(A vast majority of abortions are performed during this time, despite the scientific facts which clearly show that an individual human life is developing, as it would after birth, from infant to child to adolescent to adult). The child is born approximately 40 weeks after conception for most normal case.

 In summary, at the moment of conception a separate unique human individual, with its own genetic code, comes into existence. Like the infant, the child and the adolescent, the conceptus is a being who is in the process of becoming. She is not a becoming who is striving toward being. She is not a potential human life but a human life with great potential. The conceptus is the sexual product of human parents, and is itself a unique individual member of that species. The same being that begins as a zygote continues to birth and adulthood. There is no decisive break in the continuous development of the human entity from conception until death that would make this entity a different individual before birth.

My Opinion:
General abortions except a few cases are illegal in my country, but Korea is notorious for the great rate of illegal abortion. Even though considering the pro-choice supporters’ opinion, I think we should NOT permit the widespread abortion operation like now. There are two sides of consideration. For the conceptus, it has its own right to live according to the previous article. Because it has its organs and feelings (in its brain) in womb, abortion is killing one human, too. Moreover, it is very harmful to the mother for some reasons. Medically, women do die from abortion and suffer from physical complications of that operation. It also affects to future pregnancies and emotions of related persons such as parents. Surely, we should not ignore the opposite side of pro-life. They have right to give up the child care as parents since it could be much burden to them and so on. Therefore, it is most important to prevent unwanted baby through proper contraception. In conclusion, I think that the current law to prevent illegal abortion in Korea is relatively adequate. The life starts at the moment of conception.

Reference: http://www.christiananswers.net/life/
 http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/bioethics/abortion/