<p>hahaha hahahahaha</p>
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<p>I understand the potential argument. It has the potential to be a person, as in an entity endowed with rights. But how can you argue that a fetus is not alive?</p>
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<p>"Functional maturity of the cerebral cortex is suggested by fetal and neonatal electroencephalographic patterns...First, intermittent electroencephalograpic bursts in both cerebral hemispheres are first seen at 20 weeks gestation; they become sustained at 22 weeks and bilaterally synchronous at 26 to 27 weeks."</p>
<p>Brain function does not form by the 20th week.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that animal death is not simply measured by the end of heartbeat like on TV shows but by the end of brain function. After your heart stops beating, your brain is still functioning for another 4-5 minutes until the brain goes into oxygen debt and stops function. If death is measured by brain activity, wouldnt the same be said for life?</p>
<p>In other words, until the fetus can use its brain, the cells that form the organism are most certaintly alive, but the complete organism as a whole, is not alive until there is brain function to control these independent cells.</p>
<p>My only question remains: if it's not alive then what is it? I mean I don't think it's dead.</p>
<p>A 'fetus', before the 20th week, is a misnomer because there is no single unified organism. The organism has not been created yet. All of the cells that will serve the organism are in fact alive. But there is no organism yet. As soon as that impulse crosses the cerebral cortex, the single organism known as a human is alive.</p>
<p>True. Wouldn't it be a zygote at that point anyway, if I remember any biology correctly? When I said fetus, I meant at that developmental age.</p>
<p>The name of group of cells is dependant upon the number of cells in that ball. </p>
<p>Zygote, then gastrula, then blastula, and then embryo, once the formation of the organs is complete (including the brain), it then becomes a fetus.</p>
<p>Awesome. Thanks.</p>
<p>Thank you Bobbobbob for being so specific. That is what I was referring to but I was far less articulate and concise.</p>
<p>haha no reply huh guys?</p>
<p>You owned them :D</p>
<p>Sexily so.</p>
<p>You all do realize that most abortions take place many weeks after conception. Golly, the human fetus develops the form of a human child just after three weeks. The fetus can sense pain, for gosh sakes.
Many abortions take place 3-5 months after conception. Big deal, right?</p>
<p>60-70% of abortions take place before the 12th week.</p>
<p>Thanks for proving my point, Bob! I enjoy these types of debates.
At eleven weeks, the child definitely possesses a simple nervous system, has a definite shape of a human being, has fingers and toes, and has nearly all the visible features of that of a human baby. Lord! An abortion at eleven weeks would be the equivalent to murder.</p>
<p>Some may find this interesting or relevant; some will not.</p>
<p>Yet a determinable human life is easily expendable under lethal injection.</p>
<p>^That is just sick, an expendible human life. I believe most abortions in the twelve week period are undertaken through the "suction" method. I bet that is pretty "painless" for that living fetus, wouldn't you agree? That is the humane thing to do, right?</p>
<p>I'm talking about capital punishment....I was also using expendable sarcastically. As I don't believe it to be expendable.</p>
<p>I cannot make up my mind about abortion. To me, both sides make valid arguments.</p>
<p>I just don't understand how the killing of an 11th week old fetus "should" be considered murder, while the killing of a 37 year old person would not be.</p>
<p>Capital punishment is only enforced upon murderers. These people maliciously murdered innocent lives for no purpose. A twelve week old fetus is an innocent being; a developing human being. It deserves respect, and rights.
As Bob pointed out to strengthen my original argument, abortions occur 60 to 70% of the time right around the 12th week. At that point, the fetus has all the distinguishable features of a human baby. It has a nervous system which can sense pain. I don't reckon that the suction method is too painless, wouldn't you agree?</p>
<p>it is not a human being yet, thats my point.</p>
<p>it is not a single organism, it is a mass of cells with nothing to guide them.</p>
<p>and i didnt say around the 12th week, i said before.</p>