Some people are recognizing Sanctity of Human Life Day today, the third Sunday in January, and others are recognizing it next Sunday, January 23.
What is the youngest baby you’ve ever seen? A day old? A few hours? Less than a minute? I’ve had the privilege to assist in a couple of labors and witness the birth of two precious babies. I could see them crowning—could see the tops of their little heads before they were even born. Does that mean I saw them before they were alive? Some would say yes.
At what point does an embryo or fetus become human or alive? What scientific or logical evidence do you have for that time you just thought of? Most people I’ve talked to believe that a fetus becomes a living human at some nebulous time “pre-birth” but cannot tell me when the magic moment is. A zygote will certainly develop into a baby if everything happens as it should, just as a baby will develop into a child, and a child into an adult. So what is the difference between a newborn baby and a just-conceived zygote that makes one human and the other not?
If you don’t know the answer to this question, I urge you to search until you find a reason that is backed by scientific and logical evidence. The only satisfactory answer I’ve found is that there is no essential difference between a baby and a newly fertilized zygote—that they are both alive and human. If you reach a different conclusion, please comment below with your findings and your evidence. I am truly seeking truth.
Allow me to tell you about a powerful, painful experience I had. Recently, I saw an embryo who was probably about 6-7 weeks old (an estimate based on size and situation). It was perfect! From head to rump, it was about half an inch long. I could see its clear skin, dark eye spots smaller than a pin head, and tiny, tiny little feet and arms. That is the youngest baby I’ve seen, and I went home and cried. It was beautiful, just beautiful... and it had died.
This is a life-sized model of an embryo at 9 weeks’ gestational age—two or three weeks older than the baby I saw.
Please, if you do nothing else after reading this, give serious thought to the question of when life begins. If you believe that human life is valuable and deserves protection, this is not a subject you can avoid.
2 comments:
The best explanation of 'when life begins' was that 'Every living thing requires oxygen. Each cell requires oxygen." So that 'zygote' would be a living thing, as it requires oxygen.
Simple, but profound.
Your post was so beautiful. I cry whenever I think about the unborn babies that are murdered everyday. You are always in my prayers as you stand in the gap for life.
Blessings to you!
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