Dr. Sean O’Reilly, Director of the Neurobiology Research Training Program at George Washington University:
“[T]here is nothing in the entire phenomenon of the transmission of life that deserves more to be called an event, scientifically speaking, that does fertilization. It is the natural and scientific boundary at which a new and genetically unique human individual can be said to begin his existence. We conclude, therefore, that by objective and scientific criteria the individual human being is a person throughout his [or her] entire biological development from conception, which is synonymous with fertilization, to natural death… Any other conclusion would be arbitrary, unsupportable by scientific fact or rational argument, divorced from objective reality, and based on a particular ideology, philosophy or creed.”
Quoted on pages 28 – 29 of Randall J Hekman, Justice for the Unborn (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Servant Books, 1984).
Editor’s note. This appeared at Clinic Quotes and is reposted with permission.
The question of when life begins is a deeply complex and often controversial topic, involving perspectives from biology, ethics, philosophy, and religion. From a neurobiological standpoint, the statement that life begins at conception can be supported by the scientific understanding of human development.
According to Dr. Maureen Condic, a director of neurobiology, the argument that life begins at conception is based on well-established scientific principles. At the moment of conception, when a sperm fertilizes an egg, a new, genetically unique organism is formed. This single-cell zygote has all the genetic information necessary to develop into a fully formed human being. This marks the beginning of a continuous process of development that, barring any interruptions, will proceed through the stages of embryonic development, fetal development, birth, and postnatal growth.
From a biological perspective, the zygote is considered a living organism because it meets the criteria for life: it can grow, respond to stimuli, and reproduce (at the cellular level). Importantly, the zygote’s development is self-directed, meaning it contains within itself the information and mechanisms required to proceed through the various stages of human development.
Dr. Condic and other proponents of this view argue that the biological beginning of a human life is an objective scientific fact. However, they also acknowledge that determining the moral and legal status of the embryo or fetus is a more complex issue that goes beyond the realm of science and enters the domains of ethics and philosophy.
Opponents of the idea that life begins at conception might argue that while a zygote is biologically alive, it does not yet possess the characteristics that we typically associate with personhood, such as consciousness, self-awareness, and the ability to experience pain. These perspectives highlight the distinction between biological life and moral or legal personhood, suggesting that the latter may develop later in pregnancy.
In conclusion, from a neurobiological and scientific standpoint, life begins at conception because this is the point at which a new, genetically distinct human organism is formed. However, the implications of this fact are interpreted differently across various ethical, philosophical, and legal frameworks.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
