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DaveMontrose

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  1. This issue comes down to definition, and I think that's where the differences become so heated. When does life begin? Does an egg cell become a human being at the moment of conception? This is the official position for a number of Christian denominations, but scientists estimate that as many as 50 percent of fertilized eggs are miscarried, often mistaken for a period. Does a zygote become a human being at implantation? That is the moment when it starts receiving its nutriments, so the belief has merit. Does an embryo become a human being when the heart starts beating? I think there is some credibility to this. The beating of a heart is the first tangible sign of an independently functioning creature in development. Does a fetus become a human being when reaching the age of viability? This term is used frequently, but it worries me a little. We protect those who have been born who cannot fend for themselves, so why do the same protections not extend to the unborn? We have developed artificial hearts and organ transplants that can keep alive people who would otherwise not be considered viable, so why would the ability to survive independently be considered a litmus test for protection in the womb? Does a fetus become a human being at birth? I think it's fair to say that most people do not like the thought of terminating a third-trimester pregnancy. Unless there is some sort of soul-generating process that starts in the birth canal, that baby is a person before he or she emerges. As a practical note, other than those "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" shows, I cannot imagine someone going through six months of pregnancy before deciding not to go through with it. Personal responsibility has to factor in at some point. Are there exceptions that should allow abortions (rape, incest, mother's life in danger)? These are the questions that make the issue so gray. I guess it comes down to what you think are the answers to the above questions. Having never faced any of these situations, I would not even dare try to answer them, except for the third. I believe that only a mother can decide when her own life is in danger. Should the government have any say in whether or not abortions take place? That all comes down to your definitions of human life and the role of government. There is a standard that government takes in protecting our health and safety, but how far does it go? Legal questions need to be answered, such as: Why is the murder of a pregnant woman is treated as a double murder when the mother can legally terminate that same fetus? There are a ton of unknowns, but there are two things that I do know: 1. As long as the pro-life side dismisses its opponents as do-what-I-want feminazis, and as long as the pro-choice side dismisses its opponents as Bible-thumping woman-haters, there is no way our country is going to make any progress on this issue. 2. Nearly six years ago, my wife suffered a miscarriage (I call it a stillbirth) at 18 weeks. Our son Ben died of a blood clot in the uterus that was not seen on ultrasound. It was a freak occurrence, with nobody deserving of blame. I do know that I what I saw pass into this world, lifeless, was a baby, though the laws of the state of New Jersey regarded him as tissue. I was too far in shock to hold him - a decision that I will regret for the rest of my life - and instead of being buried, Ben ended up in the hospital lab to be dissected. I'm no constitutional scholar, and I don't have any clue where life begins, but I believe that the idea that an 18-week-old unborn baby can be legally terminated is disturbing.
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