To the Editor:
Bruce Roberts asserts in “Yours is not the only perspective on abortion,” which was printed in the Daily Journal Sept. 2 “…the claim that life begins at conception is a theological assertion …”
As President Obama suggested: “Let science lead our decisions.”
In vitro fertilization has given us an opportunity to actually observe the moment of conception. The fact is that at the moment the sperm penetrates the egg, a small flash of light is observable. Shortly after that moment, the fertilized egg divides into two cells. If left unimpeded, those cells will again divide, organs will form, and will gradually grow to become a complete human being.
The initial cell division is interesting in that those cells contain a DNA that, while carrying sequences associated with the DNA of each parent, is completely unique – as unique as the fingerprints that will form in just a few weeks.
I contend that these scientific facts demonstrate that human life begins, if not at the moment of conception, at the first cell division moments after, thus refuting Roberts’ claim that “… the claim that life begins at conception is a theological assertion …”
A simple Google search of “when sperm meets egg” gives dozens of scientifically factual details, none of which are based on theology.
Bob Siefker
Greenwood
