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Dr. Gerard M. Nadal: Science in Service of the Pro-Life Movement

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When Does a Human Begin?

November 18, 2011 by Gerard M. Nadal

When one considers the ethics of manipulation, the question of whether we ought to, or whether we may manipulate an organism or entity depends on the answer to the first and most fundamental question:

What is it?

Ascertaining the identity and status of the object of our intended manipulation is essential.

In the fields of obstetrical medicine and reproductive medicine the ethical debates have raged for four decades. Enlightened discourse between opposing parties must assume good motives by all involved, and then go about asking the essential questions, following where the truth of science and reason lead.

Many claim that life begins at some point distant from fertilization, always beyond the point at which they propose some manipulation (abortion, embryonic stem cell culturing, etc…). There are always a list of biological functions that are given to define when human life begins: Cognitive capacity, etc.

The simple biological truth of the matter is that the Cell Theory states that all cells arise from pre-existing cells. There is no blackout period between sperm and egg uniting, and then the emergence of ‘life’ at some point distant.

The Carnegie stages of human development indicate that human development begins in the zygotic stage. Then there is the assertion of developmental biologist and leading textbook author in the field, Scott Gilbert. In his text, Gilbert takes us through the life cycle of a dog. His text, Developmental Biology, is arguably the leading text in the field. According to Gilbert:

“Traditional ways of classifying catalog animals according to their adult structure. But, as J. T. Bonner (1965) pointed out, this is a very artificial method, because what we consider an individual is usually just a brief slice of its life cycle. When we consider a dog, for instance, we usually picture an adult. But the dog is a “dog” from the moment of fertilization of a dog egg by a dog sperm. It remains a dog even as a senescent dying hound. Therefore, the dog is actually the entire life cycle of the animal, from fertilization through death.”

First, note how he sets the word dog off in quotes at one point, to communicate the very essence of the organism:

But the dog is a “dog” from the moment of fertilization of a dog egg by a dog sperm…

The same may be said of all vertebrates, including cats, giraffes, chimpanzees, and humans. Substituting the word human for dog in Gilbert’s analysis gets to the heart of the matter. We are human for our entire life cycle. We are whole and complete in form and function at every stage of our development, for that given developmental stage. The prepubescent child is fully human, even though they lack the capacity to execute all human functions, such as abstract reasoning, or reproduction.

In the same way, the early embryo is alive and fully human, though it has not yet executed all human organismal functions.

Photo via: embryology.med.unsw.edu.au

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Posted in Biomedical Ethics | 8 Comments

8 Responses

  1. on November 18, 2011 at 6:13 AM Andrew Haines

    “Ascertaining the identity and status of the object of our intended manipulation is essential.”

    Pun intended?


  2. on November 18, 2011 at 6:44 AM Sara Munday

    Beautiful! I love the simplicity of the case you make and the clarity you bring to the issue.

    Andrew, I don’t see the pun you refer to.

    I have a friend from college who justifies her pro abortion stance by referring to a child in the womb not as a child, but as a potential child. It is not a child in her mind’s eye until it is born alive. Human status is the question at hand.


  3. on November 18, 2011 at 8:07 AM Paola

    Great articulation of when life begins! Keep up the good work!


  4. on November 18, 2011 at 10:33 PM John Lewandowski

    It is ironic that the pro abortion side clings to ancient scientific hypotheses about when life begins. Before the discovery of spermatozoa and ova it was assumed that men provided the seed of a new life while the female provided a fertile place for that seed to grow. Based on this ancient and incorrect understanding of human reproduction, it is indeed very difficult to determine when life begins. We do not hold that life begins at fertilization because the Bible or other ancient texts told us so. The Church has only opposed abortion as homicide since scientists discovered that a new human life is created at the moment of fertilization. We are fortunate that the Church has always opposed abortion as a sin against the family. The Spirit certainly guided the early Church to the truth, even if the truth would not be fully understood for centuries.


  5. on November 19, 2011 at 9:41 PM Anna

    John McCain got it right in the 2008 presidential debate when Rick Warren asked him at what point a human being gets human rights: “At the moment of conception,” McCain replied.


  6. on November 20, 2011 at 3:47 PM Gerard M. Nadal

    John,

    The Church has ALWAYS maintained that abortion is homicide:

    http://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/earlychurchfathers/fatherscover.html


  7. on December 1, 2011 at 12:45 PM FRC Blog » The Social Conservative Review: December 1, 2011

    […] “When Does a Human Begin,” Gerard M. Nadal, Coming Home blog […]


  8. on December 2, 2011 at 6:55 PM Newt Gingrich’s Mistaken Notion: Life Begins at Implantation « Coming Home

    […] recently covered this topic on when a human life begins, I’d like to probe deeper into the thoughts of Mr. Gingrich and […]



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