Mr. Sperm Meets Ms. Egg
Mr. Sperm meets Ms. Egg; it happens all the time. Much of the time it is an act of passion. Lust, if you will. And it does not take much intellectual fortitude to have sex. Just lust. I know what is on the mind of a teenage boy, a lot, and it is not love. I have a pretty good idea that teenage girls are not quite as sex-driven, but they too share the challenge. When you combine the raging hormones of teenagers with the tantalizing media and our permissive society, you end up with lots of kids having sex. I do not justify it, but I do recognize it. And while I as a church worker wrestle with this dilemma, I find it frustrating that so many of my fellow conservative Christians absolutely oppose the distribution of contraceptives to teenagers. And my words about such inconsistent behavior are in another blog.
When Joey and Judy do the “love tango” in the backseat of the car (or, more likely, in the house while the parents are oblivious), and Mr. Sperm burrows into Ms. Egg, do they immediately conceive a human being? It is a most important question, because I think abortion transfers from a surgical procedure into killing the moment the ending of a human life takes place. So, the question I ponder, is “When does human life begin?”
I find it hard to equate a fertilized egg with a human being. Potential- yes, but not yet.
For the first week the cells divide and multiply, and finally implant into the uturus.
Now, as I understand it, the “morning after pill” (RU486) prevents the cells from continuing to divide, and then a sister drug is administered to expel the cells. This seems to me to be a reasonable form of birth control for the person who messed up by having sex without proper protection. To me, when this is applied in the first few weeks of pregnancy, it is simply preventing the forming of a baby, akin to using a spermicide or IUD device.
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So, when does human life begin?
My wife believes it is the moment a heartbeat begins, which I am told is around 3 weeks. But I wonder if the presence of this one pumping organ, especially in rudimentary form, equates to life? I do know that some are ethically quite prepared to “pull the plug” on a terminally ill person whose heart continues to beat.
Does the presence of distinct brainwaves indicate the beginning of a human life? Such occurs at 6 weeks, and accompanies reflexes and a complete skeleton. I think this to be a compelling point for consideration. It seems to me that someone whose mind is working deserves to have his life valued.
I understand, in years past, the point of “quickening” was when a baby was considered to be a real person. The mother begins to feel her baby moving inside of her body at around 18 weeks.
The point of viability, when the fetus has the possibility of surviving outside the womb, is around 23 weeks.
And, according to interpretation of the law, the fetus only becomes a human being, with individual right to life, after it is born. Not just theoretically, but actually, a 9-month-old fetus can be aborted with support of the law. This seems unreasonable to me.
It is not reasonable to me that a newly fertilized egg is a human being. Neither is it reasonable to me that an 8 ½-month-old fetus is only a potential person. Somewhere between these two extremes, life happens. In my opinion, brainwaves are a key indicator.
What do you think?
10.15.06 (10:59 pm) [
edit]
posted by:
seochris (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (12:12 am)
seochris
I feel you are addressing a very sensible and valid topic, a must for church debates.
Frankly you have palced me in a dilemma to answer your question fully. Hope you would clear more aspects on this topic particularly explaining the thin line between unprotected sin and protected sin with contra.
posted by:
sudeshpoojari (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (4:04 am)
Seriously nice post,
when basically life begins, practically the instance the sperm penetrates the egg, as it is the potential life, and even in other terms it at that moment because it is moment when hope of a new life emerges, it is the start, it is journey that begins at that moment and ends as we all know,
But I thought your post deviated from the topic whether we should allow teens to have contraceptive or not, but anyway whatever u discussed was worth a read
posted by:
idiotbubble (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (5:44 am)
Pastor! You said... It is not reasonable to me that a newly fertilized egg is a human being.
And sudeshpoojari said... when basically life begins, practically the instance the sperm penetrates the egg...
What about a test tube baby? The sperm penetrates the egg outside the body. Do you call that a beginning of life too? Has the fertilized egg a soul? To me, life begins when the baby is delivered. BUT, that doesn;t mean I think abortion is the right thing to do. Abortion is killing, not a baby, but a chance for a worthy human being to form and to live and to feel.
posted by:
tfruge1 (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (8:12 am)
Very interesting post. I would have to disagree with you on one area. Just like when you asked the question of does a beating heart qualify you as being "alive" and having to pull the plug on someone who has a beating heart, how does brain activity qualify you for life as well? You can be legally alive without brain function. There are machines that can still beat your heart and all of that so are you still alive even if you don't have the ability to think?
I do agree with your beliefs on abortion even though I am a free-spoken liberal. I do not agree with abortion of a 8.5 month old child. The law really is in despirate need to be re-interprutated.
When life begins is a good question and I'm not sure if a human and honest answer this. I believe that life begins once the heart is developed and begins to beat. Once this occurs, I believe life is established and anything done to prevent this should not be a legal abortion but murder of an innocent life.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (8:50 am)
Reply to: tfruge1
You characterize yourself as a "free-spoken liberal", and I often categorize myself as a "conservative". Yet, it seems to me, neither of us easily fit into these definitions. There are scores of moral/ethical/political issues out there. And all of them can be approached from many different angles. Truth be told, I can be called conservative on some, moderate on others, and even liberal (I do not like the term) on others. I'll bet the same is true for yourself. I think for you to understand there are situations where abortion can be called "murder" would not sit well with many within the liberal establishment. To them it is all about choice and privacy, with no exception. None.
I think the beating of a heart is a physical/mechanical matter. It is not a definition of life. And that is why a physician or family may choose to terminate someone who is deemed to be, in colloquial term, "a vegetable" even though the heart is beating. If there is no discernible cognizant brain activity, then many think the "person" is already dead. An example would be Terry Schiavo. In this day, physicans can teoretically keep a ody functioning long past the point of death. So, I took that fact and applied it to the argument that the presence of a heartbeat is when a former mass of cells becomes a human being. It seems more logical to me to use the recognition of independent brain function as the criteria.
But, I'm still developing my thoughts about this issue. It is difficult.
posted by:
lorischuster (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (12:52 pm)
I agree with you assessment about the conservative christians and teenagers regarding condoms. I think for many it's easier to pull the wool over their eyes and pretend like it isn't happening then to face the tough questions. We have friends who are very active in Right to Life. Their feeling is that even the birth control pill is a form of abortion...something to do with a viable egg. I can't even come close to agreeing with this. As far as conception: to say that a baby who is in the womb, sucking it's thumb, getting the hiccups, moving around is not a life is difficult for me to fathom. It always amazes me that in cases of murder and in other situations, a fetus is considered a life, however, in terms of abortion it is not. As a mother, I would like to say that life begins at conception, but, as a matter of law, I think it's hard to argue that brainwaves, a skeletal system, reflexes and a heartbeat does not equal a human life. Good post Pastor Dave...a lot to consider and I appreciate your candor.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (4:32 pm)
Reply to: seochris
My point is that teens are not very good at securing protection before engaging in sexual activity. I'm thinking we should make contraceptives more readily available because it would reduce teen pregnancy. Such is not advocating premarital sex, but doing something practical to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (4:38 pm)
Reply to: sudeshpoojari
From your confusing statement, I'm thinking you really have the same struggle I do- Not knowing exactly when life begins, even though you want to say it is at the moment of conception.
"practically the instance the sperm penetrates the egg..." - meaning not definitive?
"potential life" - as opposed to real life?
"hope of a new life emerges" - not the same as actual life
It's a difficult matter, for sure. I just think we ought to admit as much, and not be so good at doublespeak. And, I'm sometimes guilty of the same.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (4:51 pm)
Reply to: lorischuster
Modern technology is really "throwing a wrench" into conventional pro-choice reasoning. Scans and intra-womb photography are revealing amazing things about the fetus, even at early stages of development. And, modern medical technology is pushing further back the time of viability. I find it amazing and disturbing that the heart begins to beat within 3 weeks, and brainwaves are detected at 6 weeks.
Yet, modern technological advances are also frightening. Perhaps it will not be long before we will be able to detect all kinds of "imperfections" in the fetus, including: birth defects, potential for health complications, and even IQ potential and color of eyes. Will it be o.k. to abort a child because he will be determined to not be physically attractive or mentally astute? Such a Brave New World is scary.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (4:56 pm)
Reply to: idiotbubble
I don't know. Having said that, I can say what I believe. To me, a fertilized egg is no more a "soul" than an appendix. It is just cells, which allowed to develop in an appropriate environment, somewhere along the way becomes a soul.
Interesting you would use the term "soul". Genesis tells us God created Adam from the dust, and only when God breathed life into him did he become "a living soul".
posted by:
mimi (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (5:51 pm)
pd,
i don't really know how i feel, except to say that i know that my siblings and i were supposedly not conceived in love. growing up with that causes a great deal of pain and self-loathing. my brother has been gone for 33 years...my sister is a mess and had it not been for sam, i probably would not be as "sane" as i am....my point, though is, i think i would rather have been aborted than to suffer the knowledge that you weren't conceived in love nor were you truly loved by either selfish, self-centered "parent". only children that will be loved and nurtured by loving parents and family should be brought into this world. unloving, unprepared people should never be allowed to have children, ever. it is torture for the children to suffer no love, no home, physical, emotional, sexual and all other type of abuse. what sort of life is that??????
(with all due respect)
posted by:
babe4jesus55 (
reply)
post date:
10.16.06 (7:29 pm)
I would think a person is "alive" when they have a soul existing within their physical self. Now, when that occurs in development is anyone's guess. More of an ideology than at practical answer. Anyone's welcome to puzzle that one though!
posted by:
Radiohead (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (9:58 am)
Reply to: mimi
I can identify with what you are saying. And to some extent I agree, however, through every storm is a miracle. I was concieved by rape and was rejected my whole life and plagued all different kinds of abuses. I think what I have learned most is that I was not put on this Earth without reason. We all have a purpose, our past is not what makes us, it's what teaches us where we are going. I am choosing to go somewhere positive in an effort to balance out my negative past. I wish you lots of healing for your pain.
posted by:
fractalmom (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (6:10 pm)
Well now. THIS is a good, no great debate.
The mom in me who has born two children and lost many others to early miscarriage says that life begins at conception.
The woman in me sees the need for some abortion to be legal.
The Christian in me says that all life is sacred.
The lawyer asks what defines life?
And so, the circle goes. As a person who has studied the law and also particpated in legislation I know that there is NEVER a law that suits all persons equally. Such is impossible. Especially in a government like the U.S. where freedoms are prevalent and constitutional. So the dichotomy is then to somehow legally define when a life is in fact a life.
No one will be happy. Since we have now legislated things like living wills and powers of attorney for terminally ill or catatrophically injured persons who are unable to make a decision regarding their treatment or lack thereof, we have to take into consideration the current laws regarding viability of life as we know it.
A heart beating as mentioned by another commentor and the author, does not necessarily mean a "life" as we would like to define it.
Especially, for the courts, the recent um...legal battle between (here is where I absolutely HATE getting old, I cannot remember her name) the husband of the comatose for years woman, and her mother and father.
I think the bottom line will be a combination of brain wave presence and viability. Since Roe vs Wade some twenty or more years ago, abortion has usually happened in the first trimester. I believe the supreme court will eventually find that life will be considered life sometime AFTER the 5th month. The earliest that a fetus can live in NICU if delivered is about 21 weeks, and that is pretty risky with not very many babies making it if delivered that early.
Common sense (which as we all know, isn't) says that if a baby can survive independent of the mother's body, then it must be considered a human.
My guess is that is about what this will end up.
imho
dawn
posted by:
mimi (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (6:19 pm)
for fractalmom...her name was terri schiavo
posted by:
mimi (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (6:20 pm)
Reply to: fractalmom
you were referring to Terri Schiavo, I believe.
posted by:
fractalmom (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (6:26 pm)
Reply to: mimi
Thanks Mimi. its been a loooonnnggg day. I couldn't remember her name.
dawn
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (7:03 pm)
Reply to: mimi
You've had a hard life. But, I doubt that you are saying it would have been better if you had not been born. You have been an influence upon many people. And I find it hard to accept that the government or a self-absorbed parent would have the right to rob our world of your opportunity for contribution.
By the way, this reminds me of one of my favorite movies, "It's A Wonderful Life". Sometimes we all take on the woe-is-me mindset of Jimmy Stewart. But we have to truly believe that our lives have purpose, meaning- even divinely inspiried.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (7:10 pm)
Reply to: fractalmom
I appreciate your trying to continue the life of this little post. It seemed as if it was ready for termination, or at least RU486.
So, you think our judicial system is evolving in it's understanding of abortion, that it is moving toward a more reasonable point? I hope that is true. The next Supreme Court vacancy will probably tip the scale one way or the other. The old guy (I'm having one of your senior moments right now) is about 87, and is probably hanging on in hopes of a Democrat president. So if, some how and some way, a Republican or conservative can be elected in 08, then we will probably seen a more moderate position on abortion. And, I do not think Roe-v-Wade is in danger of being overturned even by a largely conservative court. Maybe tweaked, and that would be good.
posted by:
radiohead (
reply)
post date:
10.17.06 (10:32 pm)
As much as it pains me to say this...my opinion is that human life is when a heart starts to beat. Unfortunately the pain I carry is knowing that I chose to end the life of a child whose heartbeat I saw on a computer screen. I think the embryo with the heartbeat is the sign of life. And as much as that hurts me, it is definately something I have chosen to ignore until I was delivered from my guilt a few months ago. A heartbeat means life, it means destiny, it means, God is there in the midst creating this life for purpose. I suspect that God knows everything, all the decisions we make, and I only speak for myself when I say that this life I chose to give away was not a waste of a heartbeat, not a waste of a soul, God knew this child's purpose was to bring me to where I am today. I wish more women who have had abortions can look at these lives and see that there was purpose beyond the guilt. For me, there was a miracle.
posted by:
mimi (
reply)
post date:
10.18.06 (4:43 am)
Reply to: PastorDave
not any woe is me, really, only deep contemplation. it truly is one of the reasons i never had babies...didn't ever want a child of mine to feel the way i do...but i know there is a reason for me, and my siblings...it's just been difficult to figure it out...life should not have to be so difficult because of your parents..or lack of...that is why sam was soooo important to me...he helped me find my way and my purpose and value...and then when he was gone, it was like knocking the foundation out from under me...but, i am too old for woe is me...i know my purpose and i carry a big smile everywhere i go...just deep down i carry a lot of heavy feelings around..xoxox
posted by:
drforbush (
reply)
post date:
10.18.06 (2:01 pm)
PastorDave,
I agree with you when you point out the development of the fetus from day one to month nine and the dilemma of when we have a human being. Unfortunately in our culture we seek a bright line or demarcation between human and non-human being. I would have to say that life exists in a form actually before conception. The egg is a living cell with the potential to become a human being. Similarly, every sperm cell also has the potential to become a human being under the right conditions. And, a fertilized egg certainly has the potential to become a human being under the right conditions.
Someone could draw a bright line at the moment of conception, but another person could say that it was fate that these two pieces would travel and get together, so the process started with sex. But, it is our culture that seeks a bright line, and in this case I believe that we have a process of development and not any bright line at any specific point.
With that being said, I still think that it would be easier if we had some legal definition that makes this issue black and white for the sake of the law. However, since I don’t believe that there is any bright line I need to rely on some artificial line at some stage of development. Or, perhaps some third way. Drawing some legal line also brings up a second issue, and that is the life of the mother and her well being. I appreciate your effort to disentangle the fetus from the mother in your argument, but the fact is that these to bodies are part of one process. A health issue with one will cause a health issue with the other. If life is to be respected, then the specific details of each life needs to be considered.
So, I come to the conclusion that this entire affair should be left to the mother and her doctor. These individuals have the obligation to take the potential life of the fetus into account, but they also have the obligation to understand the life of the mother as well. By leaving this issue to the personal relationship between the mother and the doctor most choices will be made in the most humane way. Both people are human and have feelings about this process and the possibility of ending a potential life. Just as any person is saddened by the thought of putting an animal to death because of a disease any person is also going to weigh the issues when deciding whether they want to have an abortion. I would hope that if a woman understood that at eight months the fetus inside her could survive outside the womb she would feel more strongly that this fetus was indeed an “underweight baby” and should be treated as such. And similarly a woman who just discovers her pregnancy after missing her period would know that the viability of the fetus was impossible and the fetus could be likened to a small fish. I know from experience that people don’t take the killing of even a small fish (with brain activity) very lightly, but it is less traumatic perhaps than killing a small baby.
I hope this makes sense without offending anyone...
posted by:
Lezah (
reply)
post date:
10.20.06 (11:54 am)
I wish more church leaders had your common sense. Perhaps not as many people would turn away from the church, preferring to worship on their own.
posted by:
laydeepulse (
reply)
post date:
10.21.06 (12:08 am)
i have stated before i hold firm convictions as far as abortion.
my veiw: the second the and and the sperm combine, become one.........
posted by:
Lezah (
reply)
post date:
10.21.06 (5:54 pm)
How do I subscribe to this? And have you as a t-friend?
