The Black Republican

Science has given us many new understandings of this world. And I generally believe that the rest of the answers are there for our finding. Though from what I have been told of quarks, whose very existence is only known via an educated supposition, (the very act of looking at these most tiny of particles changes them), some things may not be knowable using the five senses. Some things may have to be taken on faith, an intelligent supposition not directly sensed by taste, touch, smell, sight or sound.

At some point, from what I've learned of the science around reproduction, I came to the conclusion that a new human life begins when the sperm unties with the egg. That event creates a unique set of DNA molecule which divides; creating an exact duplicate of the original, more cells form the same way, and then are formed pluripotent stem cells, those cells form specific parts of the human anatomy, this intelligent design continues and a being is built, this initial process of cell division continues until, not birth, but death occurs, (after birth the being continues to grow and change right up to the moment when life ends, at whatever age that may be).

Now, I am certain to have left out a step along the way. But, that isn't important. That first meeting is what is important. For, in a fundamental way what occurs, from the union of the DNA carried by the sperm, and the DNA carried by the egg, goes on uninterrupted except by death. It can thus be argued, scientifically, that life begins at conception.

But, that really is not the question that consumes our society. What we find ourselves arguing about is, when do we care about that life enough to protect it from termination?

That is the question at the heart of the abortion debate.

And science can not answer that question, it is a moral choice. Science can describe the world and its working; it can not answer questions of right and wrong.

All of this came to mind from reading a post at Begging To Differ concerning the prospect that science can develop a consciometer; a device which detects whether an entity is conscious. The function of which would be to determine when a fetus is conscious so that an exact point of development can be set for when the fetus is aware/thinking/feeling/etc. The use of that information? Well, that is not the province of science, it is a moral decision. The choice: do we allow people to end life if it happens before that lifeform can taste, touch, smell, see, or hear a quark; or do we accept that that lifeform already knows as much about the great mysteries as we will ever know and forbid its harm.

A question which science can not answer for us.