Editorial was wrong; science shows life begins at conception

Editorial was wrong; science shows life begins at conception

Two of your recent Opinion columns caught my attention. The first made the ridiculous assertion that it is just a religious idea that life begins at conception. Please go back and brush up on your basic science and biology. Each of us received half of our genetic material from our mother and half from our father. According to every textbook I have studied and to quote the article on conception at WebMD.com, “At the moment of fertilization, your baby’s genetic make-up is complete, including its sex.”

As human beings we all go through many stages of development that go by different names. Inside the uterus we are called a blastocyst, embryo and fetus. After our birth we are first called infants, then toddlers, children, adolescents, adults, and if we are blessed with a long life, senior citizens and then elderly. All along this amazing process, we are still the same human being albeit at very different stages of development.

Tracing these steps backward, when can you say you did not exist as a human being? Not until before the moment of your conception.

I am proud to say that both my religion as well as common sense and science teach me that all human life begins at conception. All human lives should be respected and protected under the law and in practice until their natural death. The right to life is the fundamental human right upon which all other rights exist and are meaningless without.

This leads me to the second article in which you bemoaned the lack of respect for life that has been demonstrated in the all too frequent shootings and killings in our area.

Do you think there is any connection between the callousness we see and our society’s acceptance of almost four decades of legalized abortion and the ubiquitous violence glorified in movies and video games?

After teaching teenagers convicted of violent crimes for many years and listening to their experiences and worldviews, I sure do.

Brian Burick, New Castle