when does life begin.?

Question

question 1:

does life begin at the moment the sperm penetrates the egg? or does life begin at birth? maybe somewhere in between like when the heart or brain develops?

question 2:
if life begins at the moment the sperm enters the egg then if someone working at a fertility clinic accidently drops dozens of fertilized egg samples on the floor is that considered mass murder? and what should the crime be for that.

get 10 points by NOT bringing up:

religion
abortion

Answer 1

Life already began for the lucky sperm and ovum it fertiziled,that's when the NEW life began, as microscopic as it may be.



From that moment on there is a new life, quickly developing into different stages of development, existance, and eventually discontinuance, where nothing is living anymore.



At some point it can live without the assistance of the living host (mom) on the outside of the mom, totally independently from nurishment from the mom's body to its own, but not without someone(s) nourishing it once it is physically free from the mom...it still would die without that nourishment from other people. Eventually it develops enough to be able to go to the refirgerator to make itself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.



So this new entity, created when a sperm fertilizes an egg, goes through a process of development continuing until it dies, maybe 70,80,100 or more years later, unless something happens in between.



It's rather impossible to set the moment it's life began at any other time than fertilization, in fact it's impossible.



Semantics has people playing games about the moment the new entity should be considered it 'began'.



We know when it began.



Everything after that are just points on a continum of developement....sorta like a 'life ruler', where conception is one end of the ruler and last breath is the other end..everything else in between can be measured by where in the development or dimise that life is at....at any given moment.



EVERYONE knows it didn't begin when it pops out of the mother, its been in there dancing and eating through a feeding tube gettin ready to make its grand appearance....kicking, burping, yawning, stretching and getting ready for it's big day.



I really never undersatood why people try to pinpoint some other moment to say it began.



Excuse me, I have to get ready to be born soon......oh you caught me sucking my thumb with that gizmo you're holding...move that outta the way when you see the top of my head, would you ??



EWWWW..who's going to clean up that mess on the floor, looks like a zygote bus accident`down there.



Accidents happen...that's how some of us GOT HERE !!!

Answer 2

Great question, even if not original.

As noted, life began a long time ago and continues through the present. The sperm and egg are fully alive, just as many of the individual cells in a person remain alive for a while after the person is dead.

So I think the real question here is "when does the 'human' life begin?" You could as easily substitute for "human life" sacred life, immortal soul or any other expression which implies there is something different and special about being human. Since we don't really have a way to measure that well, we don't really have a good answer.

There are some who feel the "soul" has been alive for eternity and just become lodged in the body, though that might not help much since the question then might be "when does it lodge". Others feel the "human" isn't born until they have speech, learn right from wrong, get baptized etc. Still others say it is a meaningless question since there is nothing special about humans and life began 3 billion years ago - end of story.

Sorry I don't have a scientific answer, but there is none and you have prohibited any religious answer.

BTW, every month a woman doesn't conceive, one or more egg cells die, and let's not even get into male masturbation as mass murder (or even succesful fertilization of one sperm out of 100,000,000). Death does not equal murder.

Answer 3

1. Sperm and eggs are both alive, but are not able to survive on their own. A fertilized egg and embryo can be frozen for an indefinite period of time, and they also cannot survive on their own. A third trimester fetus has developed the ability to feel pain and some can survive outside the womb with modern technology, even if premature. An individual consciousness forms even later, after birth. Life develops gradually, so it is not reasonable to place a strict limit on what is an individual person and what is not. But it is clear that sperm, eggs, fertilized eggs, and embryos do not have the characteristics necessary to be considered a "human life." All of these things are alive, so the term "life" needs to be clarified.



2. I do not believe that ending "life" is the same thing as committing murder. The equivalent would be getting a scratch on your leg. Any skin cells you lose from the scratch "could" have been used to clone a genetic copy of you, in the same way that a sperm or egg "could" be used to spread your genes through fertilization or an embryo "could" develop into a genetic offspring through gestation.



In my opinion, the "sanctity of life" is merely a blanket term for a conservative cultural movement in the United States.

Answer 4

Mind If I go the philosophy route instead of medical, even though I am in the med field?



We live in a global community with rules based on universally understood rights. The greatest we have are "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".



The next step is to say which of these is the greatest? Without life there is no liberty nor pursuit of happiness. We must conclude that life is most important of the three.



What is Life? This right we have all been granted is great, but if we dissect it we can find it is made of pieces of no value, insignificant value, and extremely great value. Let me explain. The right to past life is of no value. Nothing can be done with time to live in the past that has been spent and is unrecoverable. There is life now, this instant, which is of insignificant value because it ... well ... it has just passed. The last piece is invaluable. It is the right to future life. This is what we all want and want more of. It is what we need to do, think, and be anything!



This is why the definition of murder (not killing, but murder) has been traditionally established as a person(s) action(s) causing the cessation of life. 'Causing the cessation of life' means stopping the potential for future life.



Therefore, from this it is clear that life begins at conception due to this being the point of establishment for future life.



As far as question 2 goes, any killing (not murder, killing) that is involuntary is typically not subject to criminal punishment. Such is the case with parents who drop their one year old.



Thanks for the great question!

Answer 5

If I am not mistaken, life begins at the moment of conception. Conception is defined as "Formation of a viable zygote by the union of the male sperm and female ovum; fertilization." and "fertilization; inception of pregnancy."



So hopefully you absorbed all of that technical mess. So, to answer your hypothetical situation, I'm not 100% sure what would happen, although I don't think the process involves carrying anything anywhere. From what I know, a medical specialist performs these duties while sitting at a table of sorts, and has all materials and equipment ready, present and available for use so that one does not have to carry things all over the place. I would imagine this setup to be true so that the professional carries out the task as efficiently as possible.



But, if the unthinkable happens, and fertilized samples are inadvertently destroyed, I would imagine that could be grounds for a medical malpractice suit. That would be like leaving tools inside a patient after surgery, or performing the wrong procedure. It is unlikely, yet possible and quite tragic.



Sorry if that was too lengthy. I hope that answered your question sufficiently.

Answer 6

i dont think that life begins EXACTLY when a sperm penetrates the egg. its the whole process of being fertilized is when life is beginning. i would say once the zygote is formed from the sperm and the egg is when life starts. which is actually pretty early.

Answer 7

Life began around 4 billion years ago. Everything since has been a continuous stream of one cell giving rise to another.



The egg and sperm are both quite alive.



And no more than masturbating.

Answer 8

Life began three and a half billion years ago.



Since then, it has taken dominion over the Earth.



It doesn't begin anymore, though.





Addendum: Oooohhhh... you're talking about that. I see now.



The beginning of a person takes place about 30 weeks into the pregnancy when the cerebral cortex develops. As a person, you're only in the womb for ten weeks, then you're born.

Answer 9

First of all you have no control on giving out points...and second...of....I believe life begins, while being Created in the tummy...

Answer 10

Life begins when you grow up and leave home.

Life-get one!

Answer 11

i like the movie superbad.

do i get 10 points cause i didnt bring up any of the things you said not to bring up?

aha

if not

your a liar.

and a big phony

Answer 12

kirby is awesome he is my brawl main :)



do i get 10 points too?



if not then ur a big fiiizat liar >=(

Answer 13

OK THIS IS HOW:



Sex, f**cking etc, and then you go... OH SH11t, my C0NDON BR0KE!



that is when life begins