PBA101H: The Science of When Life Begins

The basic science to establish the humanity of a pre-born child as a human being from the point of fertilization.

Scott F. Gilbert's Development Biology is the textbook used by CSB328H at the University of Toronto, and by the MIT OpenCourseWare Developmental Biology class. The opening sentence of Chapter 7: Fertilization: Beginning a new organism:

Fertilization is the process whereby two sex cells (gametes) fuse together to create a new individual with a genome derived from both parents. Fertilization accomplishes two separate ends: sex (the combining of genes derived from two parents) and reproduction (the creation of a new organism).

• sperm/egg fusion, the beginning of a new human organism
  • Important in our language to affirm this as scientific fact, and not merely a matter of belief
    • “I believe life begins at conception.” (e.g. Paul Ryan)
    • Answering the question of when life begins is “above my paygrade” says Obama, implying it's a complicated, unresolved question for specialists
• Four Principles summarize here
  1. Unique
  2. Whole
     • illustrate constructed versus developing with Mr. Potato Head, a Polaroid camera
  3. Human
  4. Life
• Cellular biology and sperm/egg fusion: composition, behaviour

http://www.prolifetraining.com/FiveMinute13.asp

everything it needs, just time for growth

• CCBR: The Science of When Life Begins