When is the start of new human life? What is a zygote, blastocyst, an embryo, and a fetus? Let’s take a look at biology and get some answers.
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Meiosis. This is the process in which cell division causes a parent cell to divide itself into four daughter cells. Each daughter cell will have half of the chromosomes the parent cell had, from 46 chromosomes to 23 chromosomes. This is where offspring get half of their DNA from their mother and half of their DNA from their father. Meiosis in humans occurs specifically and exclusively in the reproductive cells: eggs in females and sperm in males. Whichever sperm wins the race to meet and burrow into the egg, that new human being will now have a complete set of 46 chromosomes, or 23 pairs. Why do we need to know this? Because upon conception, the newly fertilized egg has entirely new, genetically distinct, and unique DNA, completely separate from any other living person, completely separate from its mother and its father. A new person, a new body. A rapidly growing and developing body. A body that is separate from the mother and father’s body, while still contained inside the body of the mother.
Human Stages:
In humans, this newly formed person is termed a “zygote” to refer to it’s stage of development. Now, I’d like to clarify what stages of development are in human persons. Stages of development in babies, simple put, describe the age and gestation of the baby. We have zygote, blastocyst, embryo and fetus. This is just like when we refer to a toddler, an adolescent, an adult, or a senior. Putting terms on the stages help us understand where the human is at it’s growth, it should not ever demean the worth of the human person. Saying it’s “just a fetus” or “it’s a fetus” about a baby in the womb, is like saying to an adolescent “you’re a teenager”. I believe human dignity remains on each person equally, no matter what stage of life they are in, from conception until natural death.
Distinct Traits:
Upon fertilization, the genetic traits of the human child are already written. The baby’s sex, eye color, hair color, and whether or not they’ll have dimples, a widows peak, or freckles. Scientists have even recorded on video a burst of light, like a tiny firework, surrounding the egg and sperm at the moment of conception.
You can view it here: https://youtu.be/ovzGmRrtVys
The most reasonable and scientifically accurate answer to when life begins is conception. This is when new DNA is created, where the baby is rapidly growing and dividing, and has it’s genetic composition written into it’s very being; into every cell that multiplies. It's the precious beginning of life, yours and mine, and every one of us.
You can view a crash course on embryology here:
“Fetal Development: What Happens during the 1st Trimester?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 July 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302.
I encourage you to check this website out:
“Fetal Development: What Happens during the 1st Trimester?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 July 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302.
“Fetal Development: What Happens during the 1st Trimester?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 July 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302.
“When Do Human Beings Begin?” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/wdhbb.html.
“Fetal Development: What Happens during the 1st Trimester?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 July 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302.
“When Do Human Beings Begin?” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/wdhbb.html.
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