A fetus as only Potential Human Life

Liberated Christians
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A fetus as only Potential Human Life .

A Sperm and a Egg have the potential for human life. When they are united an embryo is formed with all the DNA material etc of a human life.

Life itself is not sacred unless you are a Hindu. All life is sustained by killing of another life . We think nothing of killing plants and animals for food, killing germs, tumors etc., all of which are life Human Life is very special for two reasons, medical and spiritual.

What medically distinguishes humans from other life is the developed outer layers of the human brain "gray matter" which is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is the seat of human emotions, perceptions, sensations and all other traits we consider uniquely human. In the first trimester when 90% of all abortions are performed, their is no functioning of the cerebral cortex clearly nothing that distinguishes it as human. The only nero function is nothing more than very primitive brain stem activity which control autonomic responses. The cerebral cortex doesn't start to function until about the same time as the outer edge of viability - 20 to 22 weeks, long after most abortions are done.

More important is the spiritual aspect of human life. Here again from a Christian and Jewish biblical perspective it is clear no soul till birth. The Bible often identifies life with "breath", (Gen 2:7) suggesting that life begins at birth, not conception. This has traditionally been the view of Jewish Biblical scholars. For example Ezekiel 37:1-14 suggests this which is consistent with Genesis 2:7. Adam did not become a "living soul" until the "breath of life" entered his nostrils AFTER his body was formed. Other examples are in Joshua 10:40, 1 Kings 15:29 and many others where "breath" is treated as a synonym for "life". In biblical terms it seems clear that life begins at birth, not conception.

Ex 21:22-23 makes it quite clear that the death of fetus is not murder. Judisam clearly believes no soul till head is out of the birth canal. The only NT scripture dealing with abortion, Matthew 26:24, suggests that it would have been better if Judas had not been born! Note the word is "BORN", not "conceived". The only way to have prevented Judas from being born would have been an abortion.

So a fetus is not human life, since it has no unique human characteristics (although it has the genetic markers to develop them) and no soul. Therefore it is not human life only potential human life.

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