Life is a wonderful gift from God, but there is some

debate as to when it actually starts. Is it at the time

of birth? Is it at some point during our mother's
womb when we were created? Or is it the precise
moment the sperm and egg come into contact
during fertilization? Everyone has different
perspective with these issues. The question of when
life begins also, in turn, begs the question of
abortion. Does a woman who aborts her pregnancy
actually kill the unborn child or is she merely getting
rid of a bunch of unwanted cells? Science and the
Bible, in my opinion, provide evidence that shows
that life begins at conception and that a fetus is
alive and developing at all times.
Human life begins at the moment of fertilization. At
the point of fertilization, the pregnancy is already
considered to be in its second week. Each gamete,
or sex cell, has 23 chromosomes, which combine
when fertilization takes place. This is since
pregnancy is considered to begin pre-fertilization on
the first day of the menstrual cycle. The site of
fertilization is in one of the fallopian tubes, which
connect the ovaries to the uterus. From moment
sperm meets egg. A new human life begins. In that
moment, a single cell full of life bearing the unique
genetic imprint of a new human being who has
never existed before, is created.

A heartbeat is an arbitrary line, as something can be

alive without a fully-formed heart. If anyone - even
a new born baby - needs something from another
person's body, and that person cannot be
compelled to give it. Personhood & consciousness
is still a far too unclear concept to guide moral
decisions. We know we are conscious, but are not
sure how. In the end, we are only left one guiding
line by which to make our moral judgements—
conception.
I was raised to respect differing views so the rigid
views against abortion are hard for me to
understand. I may disagree with someone’s
theological perspective, but I respect their views.
But I think it’s totally arrogant for someone to tell
me that I need to believe what he/she believes. It’s
not that I think we should not try to win each other
over. But we have to respect people’s different
religious beliefs.
When does a human life begin?” The answer is that
life does not “begin,” it develops.