There is no issue more divisive and heated in American society than abortion. While the battle plays out in our living rooms, streets and courts, if we ever hope to resolve the struggle over abortion we must first answer one central question: When does life begin?
Contributor, The Catholic Thing
This is the easiest question I’ve ever been asked. Life begins at the beginning. Where else does anything begin?
Ah, you say, but biologically or legally speaking, at what point along the Creation-to-Apocalypse continuum does an individual human life begin?
Asked and answered: at the beginning.
Of course, I know that with regard to moral and legal matters there’s much debate about when a person becomes a person, in the sense that he or she begins to possess rights. We squarely confront this when we consider the abortion question, and in that regard some fair-minded people will tell you the life of a person begins at conception, whereas other equally evenhanded folks will tell you it starts when a fetus becomes viable—able to survive outside the womb. There are also people who think life begins only at birth, and for them abortion is licit right up until that moment, although most opinion polls show that support for abortion drops substantially as pregnancy progresses. This is not proof of when life begins, but it is evidence that most people believe life does begin at some point and probably at a point before the start of the third trimester of pregnancy—and definitely before the “fetus” has become a “baby.”
Next Argument
Biweekly updates on new debates and experts
Please check your email to confirm your subscription.
© 2008 Opposing Views, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Opposing Views, Inc. is not responsible for the content posted on this website. Please view full disclaimer under Terms
Expert Verified
