Where does the abortion argument begin? If one is intending on writing an ebook on the subject, a decision about this must be made. As I had decided to weigh in on the abortion argument (as a pro life advocate), I immediately found myself eyeball to eyeball with the fertile egg. Even though I knew what it was from all my science classes, it had been decades since I had stopped - to really look at it. And now that man has invaded the fertile egg's domain (in labs or in the womb), it is imperative to determine what it really is. So, ... what is it?



For starters, the fertile egg is the result of a successful merging of an egg and sperm cell. And these two building blocks hold a deceptive power. The sperm cell, left to itself, it is incapable of growing into anything else. So also, the egg cell. As solitary cells, they soon expire. But, once merged, they burst into a phenomenally complex life form. And that complex life form is already genetically complete inside that single fertile egg. With nourishment and time, each fertile egg will become a unique adult - 100% of the time. All this from two obscure ... powerhouses.

Some have called the human fertile egg, "potential human life." Scientifically, this statement is nonsense. It is not "potential human life" - it is human life. It is nothing else and it cannot become anything else. The fertile human egg is simply, and only, the earliest stage of human life.

But there is something even more basic about a fertile egg. It is living matter. This may sound like a stupid observation, but it is actually quite significant. Many things are not alive. Most of the matter on our planet is not alive. Indeed, the rest of the universe may have no living matter. If the weight of all living matter was added to all nonliving matter - it would not equal a speck of dust on the scales. In a universe ruled by inorganic material, the fertile egg is an extremely rare piece of living matter.

The "Life Element"

The human body is composed of twenty-eight elements. None are alive. None of them even hint at being alive. Carbon is not alive. Iron is not alive. Lead is not alive. Calcium is not alive. Arsenic is not alive. None of the other twenty-three elements that make up our body are alive either. And it is error to refer to these elements as "dead." That infers "life" is in some way a part of their sphere. In fact, all the elements of Organic Chemistry are themselves - inorganic. Life, whatever it is, is alien to every element. How any combination of non-living elements is alive ... is a total mystery. When present, the "life element" is obviously there - but, it continues to elude the scientist's grasp.

If some of these twenty-eight elements are missing from the fertile egg, then this "life element" is all the more astonishing. It collects the missing elements in the right quantities - at the right time - and constructs the body. It is "feeding" on the inorganics around it. But, too much lead, iron or arsenic will result in the "life element" vacating the matter in which it resides - as will too little of these elements. This is all beyond comprehension.

But, is it "a person?"

With that question, we have now entered ... the abortion argument. Is the fertile egg, "a person?" There are three perspectives from which to examine this question - Naturalism, Theism and Humanism. But, actually there is a fourth perspective. And I want to start there - now ... with you. I want you to put yourself in the shoes ... of a fertile egg. You are now a fertile egg.

The exact instant you became this fertile egg ... a clock started. With time and nourishment, you will turn into a unique adult - 100% of the time. Come to think of it ... that is exactly what you did. Now along the way, some people decided to crown you with the title - "being" or "person." Of course, the instant you were crowned as such, nothing physically changed. And, had this apposition been withheld, well, that would not have changed anything either. Actually, this title has no physical impact - one way or the other. So, what is this title? Well, it is ... a word. It is a metaphysical, subjective concept based upon nothing but the thin air between the ears of the adult humans bestowing it. One evidence this "designation" lacks foundation lies here: credentialing adults disagree on "being's" meaning, its essence ... or when it starts. Arbitrary points are picked all along the life-line for this coronation. Some wait until air can be breathed - but others grant this mystical designation much earlier. "Being" can be summed up in one word - "opinion." O fertile egg, this opinion has no effect on the physical reality of your one-way march into unique adulthood.

The Naturalist ... and "Being"

For the Naturalist (atheistic evolutionist), the question of "being" is as ridiculous as it is irrelevant. It is a vain attempt to make humans - more than an animal. No one ever wonders when cows or dogs reach "cow-hood" or "dog-hood." Naturalists summarily dismiss this "being" query as dribble.

Also, from the Naturalist's viewpoint, deliberate interference in the progress of a fertile egg is the activity of fools. Every species is continually battling to adapt and survive. Each fertile egg is a jewel of evolution - as profitable mutations arise randomly. Any one may contain the needed adaptation(s) for that life line to continue. Each fertile egg is the future of any species.

The Biblical Theist ... and "Being"

For the Biblical Theist, this personhood concept is also irrelevant. Since God "Himself gives to all life" (Acts 17:25), if the "being" issue is of concern to Him - well, that will be resolved between Him and that life. No one else is inside that loop.

In light of this, an assault on a fertile egg leaves the realm of "fool". It is insanity. "The hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives" (Eccl 9:3). God, "the Lord ... makes alive" (1Sam 2:6), and the stronger among us are given a special charge for protecting the weaker. To attack "innocent" human life at any point on its life-line ... well, you do the math.

The Humanist ... and "Being"

For the Humanist, this personhood issue is of great importance. By withholding this designation, the "non-being" is relegated to a blob of protoplasm. It depends on which Humanist you are talking with as to when "being" arrives. Some believe a severed umbilical cord ushers it in. For others, being "wanted" by one or more of the parents, earns "personhood" - while still in the womb. Other Humanists talk trimesters. The point? The "being" issue has about as many opinions as there are Humanists. But all Humanists do agree on one point. Before the moment when "being" is reached, anyone can do anything he/she wants with this subhuman blob of protoplasm.

A Word To - "Mom"

Mom, if you search every mountaintop, every ocean bottom, every cave on earth - and even scour the nest of every living thing - in all of nature, you will not find even one human egg. If you look into a clear night sky, that vast universe (of which you are seeing the tiniest fraction) does not have ... one human egg. If humanity does indeed have value, just realize it originates in ... you. Through you come all the world's thinkers, inventors, artists and leaders ... and no one knows who will come from any particular womb. Many of the world's greatest citizens have arisen from the most humble of circumstances. Your womb, and man's future, are inextricably intertwined. You are humanity's gatekeeper.

Conclusion

Each fertile egg is a one-of-a-kind entity in all of past reality, present reality, and future reality. Each one is genetically unique ... and totally complete. Furthermore, as living matter, it is an extremely rare thing. It contains genetic "triggers" that engage at the proper times so the correct elements, in proper proportions, are corralled for the construction that unique adult. We may find that the most complex physical entity in the entire universe is the human fertile egg. No matter rivals it. From a scientific perspective, one fertile egg is filled with inexhaustible wonders. The abortion debate begins here. I now stand in awe of the fertile egg ... and its Creator.