When does life actually begin?
in Philosophy ·
stormyskipper39 said:Looking at it through a religious lens, I actually find myself agreeing with the religious side here. If we follow the philosophy that life only truly begins after 10 weeks rather than at conception or that initial single cell, then we could just as easily argue that life on Earth didn't start with a single cell, but with multicellular organisms... though, obviously, no serious scientific institution would ever accept that concept or include it in the definition of biological evolution.
That’s just my personal take on how things work.
Reality doesn't need a coat of paint, no matter how harsh it might be, and the reality is this: people who find themselves facing an unwanted pregnancy—whether it's due to family pressure, money issues, or just their mental state at the time—are "ending" that life within them by having an abortion.
If we try to sugarcoat that act by saying "it's not murder because it's only been 10 weeks," then I think we're just lying to ourselves to make it easier to live with. But hey, it wouldn't be the first time; humans have always been capable of that.
Look, after 10 weeks, the death of a baby is on the state—on society—and the parents. But before those 10 weeks? It's just on the parents.
The government probably steps in after 10 weeks because the mother's health is at stake. The state wants more citizens—it doesn't want to risk the mom's health or the baby's life. Plus, the state hates costs. An unwanted child is expensive in a ton of ways.
It's got nothing to do with life or conscience, really. It’s just about money and responsibility. Life, and even conscience, they just change.