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Hi NIna: Thanks for contributing these views; very enlightening for me. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nina P. Brown" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 11:09 AM Subject: Are scientists agreed that human life begins at fertilization? > Scott F. Gilbert, a Professor of Biology at Swarthmore College, received > his B.A. in both biology and religion from Wesleyan University, earned his > PhD in biology in the pediatric genetics laboratory at the Johns Hopkins > University and teaches developmental genetics, embryology, and the history > and critiques of biology, asks: > Are scientists agreed that human life begins at fertilization? No. There > are several scientifically defensible positions as to when human life > begins. > > One position is that human life begins when the human egg and sperm > nuclei fuse at fertilization. This is the "genetic view." > > A second position is that human life begins when the embryo becomes an > individual. This is the time, 14 days after fertilization, when each embryo > can produce only one individual, rather than twins or triplets. In religious > terms, this would mean that ensoulment (whatever that may be) must occur > after day 14, since twins are separate individuals. In the United Kingdom, > this 14-day "embryologic view" of human individuality is the basis for human > biological research, and it has been adopted by the entire biomedical > research community there. It has the force of law in the Human Fertilisation > and Embryology Authority that licenses and governs Britain's embryo and stem > cell research. > > A third position is that human life begins when the human-specific > electroencephalogram (EEG) is acquired at around 25 weeks. Since our society > has defined human death as the loss of the EEG pattern (and not, say, when > the heart stopping or the cells dye), some scientists have argued that the > acquisition of this EEG pattern be considered the time when the fetus > becomes human. > > The fourth position is that human life begins when it can be > metabolically independent from the mother, the traditional "birthday." So > there are several scientifically defensible positions as to when a new human > life begins. > > (to read or download his complete bio and entire stem cell primer, click > on > http://www.txamr.org/download_tamr.asp > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn