Well said, DavidF

It is we human beings who place arbitrary divisions into what is a complete and interconnected process. I am aware I am getting into the region of metaphysics here - the question of the nature of existence itself.

Therefore, to remain on topic, I wish to say that the decision to continue a pregnancy is for the pregnant person to decide and the respectful response is to accept this decision.

Netjunkie

Many people will make decisions with which you will disagree therefore, I wish you success in your future career and may you develop your receptiveness to the challenge of new ideas and situations which you will encounter on your journey through this life.

Thanks :)

"Human life does not begin at conception. Human life continues. Sperm are living humanity as are eggs. Human life consists of alternate generations. 100% of the multicelled generation die. Most of the single-celled generation die except for a few which join with other single cells to form new individuals not new life."

Taking that line of reasoning, a child is just the "continuing humanity" of his or her parents, and there's no room for individualism or autonomy. As you said, a new individual starts at conception. This individual is a unique living homo sapien with different DNA to the mother.

Your life started when your father's sperm fertilised your mother's ovum. You are not just a REALLY developed sperm. You needed some genetic information, mixed around and changed a little, from each of your parents, to create YOU. You began at conception.

And btw, the sex cells are living in the same way that somatic cells are living. You wouldn't define them as individual humans on their own though. Skin cells on my body carry my DNA but they're shed. That's not the death of a human but the death of a part of the physical make up of a human.

Scientifically speaking, when two sex cells come together a new human is made. If this then dies, a human has just died.

"Since this is true, with this biological evidence to confirm that human life is continuous from conception to old age, we need to acknowledge that the change has taken place in society and not in the biological evidence."

True. And in a pluralistic, multicultural society, defining persoonhood is next to impossible. To me it seems arbitrary to say a unique living homo sapien is somehow not a human but I respect people disagree with me.

Back to the original article- as someone who believes a foetus is a person, I should not be legally forced to be involved in having that foetus killed.

Dear Netjunkie,

Those who oppose abortion do not say a new individual is generated at conception. They claim life starts at conception. My post points out the fallacy of equating creation of life with the creation of an individual. Life comes from life and does not start at conception. At some point in the past self-replicating matter came into being. From that life has continued. It may be that self-replicating matter was generated by supernatural means. I don't think so, but maybe it was. Since then life has continued. To say that life starts at conception is to deny that both sperm and egg are living cells.

"Those who oppose abortion do not say a new individual is generated at conception. They claim life starts at conception."

That is not what I said. When a sperm unites with an ovum a unique individual human being begins and that human life continues until death, whether by abortion or natural processes.

Dear Ozspen,

Abortion is a natural process. Whether it is spontaneous abortion, miscarriage or a result of surgical intervention there is nothing supernatural about it. If there is surgical intervention an element of choice enters the natural process. It is a woman's right to make that choice. She may be aborting a Hitler or a Lenin. The declining crime rate in the US started about 16 years after Roe vs. Wade made abortion more available. Apparently pregnant women had the wisdom to know the probable future of the child if they had brought their pregnancies to term. Having a medically safe abortion rather than going the coat hanger route left them free to have a child when their circumstances might be different.