Quote:
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Originally Posted by stickyfingerzdotnet
Dumbest angle ever is saying masturbating is abortion. really dumb.
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I might be dumb but I am not alone in saying this is a philosophical issue.
When does life begin?
Question:
Hi, I was wondering about a bioethical issue that's really important today-
abortion. Most of the debate about abortion revolves around when life
begins, so I was wondering when most scientist's believe that life begins,
since you obviously would know more about this subject. You don't have to
give your moral beliefs or anything, but I would just like to know when you
think that life begins... Thanks! =)
Amit Srivastava
Answer 1:
This is an important topic, but even (or especially) for a scientist
you and I must realize that my "moral beliefs" will affect the kind
of answer I give.
Even the unfertilized egg and sperm are "alive" so in some sense
life begins before fertilization! The fertilized egg is certainly
alive, in that it can copy its genetic information (DNA) and it can
divide into more and more cells. The more critical question, I think,
is when that life becomes "human", and that is not a question that
science will be able to answer. Human-ness is a religious, or moral,
or philosophical question that is not likely to have a single
agreed-upon answer.
Steve J Triezenberg
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasc...9/bio99189.htm