The Proof That Life Begins at Conception

By Brannon S. Howse

Liberals continue to argue that abortion is morally acceptable because the fetus in its early stages is not a live human being. But their contention is inestimably weaker now than it was when abortion was legalized in 1973 and is only getting more so. It becomes increasingly difficult to rationally justify full-term abortion when an ultrasound clearly shows the baby is human and not a dog or cat.

A four-year-old knows that dogs have dogs, cats have cats, birds have birds, and humans have humans. To claim the fetus is not human goes against common sense and science. Kerby Anderson describes the medical and scientific evidence that the fetus is a live human being:

[quote] Death used to be defined by the cessation of heartbeat. A stopped heart was a clear sign of death. If the cessation of heartbeat could define death, could the onset of a heartbeat define life? The heart is formed by the eighteenth day in the womb. If heartbeat were used to define life, then nearly all abortions would be outlawed. Physicians now use a more rigorous criterion for death: brain-wave activity. A flat EEG (electroencephalograph) is one of the most important criteria used to determine death. If the cessation of brain-wave activity can define death, could the onset of brain-wave activity define life? Individual brain waves are detected in the fetus in about forty to forty-three days. Using brain-wave activity to define life would outlaw at least a majority of abortions. [end quote] 

All along the way of fetal development, there is clear evidence of the humanity of the unborn baby:

• At three weeks the backbone, spinal column, and nervous system are forming. The kidneys, liver, and intestines are taking shape. 

• At five weeks the neural tube enlarges into three parts, soon to become a very complex brain. The spine and spinal cord grow faster than the rest of the body and give the appearance of a tail.

• At seven weeks facial features are visible, including a mouth and tongue. The eyes have a retinas and lenses. The major muscle system is developed, and the unborn child practices moving. The child has its own blood type, distinct from the mother. These blood cells are now produced by the liver instead of the yolk sac.

• In week eight, brainwaves can be measured and the fingers can be seen, and in the ninth week the toes will develop.

• In the tenth week the heart is almost completely developed and very much resembles that of a newborn baby. An opening in the atrium of the heart and the presence of a bypass valve direct much of the blood away from the lungs, as the child’s blood is oxygenated through the placenta. Twenty tiny baby teeth are forming in the gums.

• In the twelfth week the vocal cords are complete, and the child can and does sometimes cry silently. The brain is fully formed, and the child may even suck his or her thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers. source: The first nine months of life brochure FOTF, 1995.

And this is the development of the baby in just its first 12 weeks of life—the first trimester!  

Copyright 2006 ©Brannon Howse. This content is for Situation Room members and is not to be duplicated in any form or uploaded to other websites without the express written permission of Brannon Howse or his legally authorized representative.