When Does Life Begin?

The question continues to be asked in religion, politics and science. It won't go away and will continue to be major criteria for many in determining who is fit to lead our nation and who is not. Although it could be understandable why a politician might waver (politics won't save souls and government can't save this nation, either!), it's hard for me to understand why anyone who has even a basic understanding of the Scriptures could waver when asked the question, "When does life begin?"

The answer doesn't seem all that difficult to me: I will try now to answer it plainly!

The Bible is not silent as to when a person becomes a person. Take for example, Psalms 139:13, "For you formed my inward parts, you wove me in my mother's womb." David seemed to think he was "me" (not "it") while he was developing inside his mother!

Later, God told Jeremiah "before l formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you (Jeremiah 1 5). Would anybody want to think about what might have been if Sarah or Elizabeth had decided to abort because they were too old?

Why did the baby John "leap" within his mother's womb? (Luke 1:41). What if Mary had decided she just didn't want to have a baby - regardless of what some angel said?

There is no nice way to say it: abortion is murder. The fact that Roe versus Wade has been allowed to stand for thirty-five years is a continuing disgrace and tragedy to the USA. "A woman's right to choose" is the stated issue. But many seem to forget the fact that a woman makes a choice when she chooses to have sex. After conception, the right for a new human being to live - over whatever inconvenience it may cause the mother becomes the understated issue!

To try to circumvent the question of when life begins by bringing up certain situations that might justifY abortion (rape, incest, the mother's life is in danger) doesn't change the reality. Most babies are aborted simply because the mother didn't want to marry the man she slept with (or he didn't want to marry her!). Inconvenience, pure and simple.

The fact that many childless couples are desperate to become parents and waiting on long adoption lists doesn't offset the inconvenience of it all.

Life begins at conception: not 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 trimesters later. Scientists agree:

"Human development begins at fertilization when a male gamete or sperm (spermatozoon) unites with afemale gamete or oocyte (ovum) to produce a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marked the beginning or each of us as a unique individual" Embryo, George Tollefsen (a scientist!).

The Bible and science agree on this issue: life begins at the moment of conception!

Rio Evans