That's the thing. You're defining life as you subjectively see it, as am I. The potential for life argument doesn't rest well with me, which is why viability is my marker of personhood. And I strictly speak about personhood in terms of the law and assigning rights.
I'm not subjectively defining life. That is what you are doing. I'm trying to help you understand how, scientifically, human life begins at conception. You don't have to agree with that, but then you'd be wrong.
A newly formed zygote, at the moment of conception, is an individual human being. Sex is determined at conception. He (or she) has unique human DNA. By scientific definition, the newly conceived human zygote is the beginning of a human life.
Let me try and make this concept even more simple for you. When did your life, as a living being, begin? Were you not at one time a newly conceived zygote? At that point were you not genetically the same as you are now? Were you not, at that moment of conception, part of the human race?
You see a human zygote isn't just a zygote. It is a human zygote. It is a human life. That is, by scientific definition.
I agree with this
I don't. I had no self awareness as a zygote. I could have been aborted instead of being put up for adoption and that is fine by me. I consider it a coin flip. Had that been the case, I would have ceased to exist before i could know I existed. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. I still don't have any evidence to confirm whether or not I would have been better off that way. Another coin flip perhaps.
Your cognitive abilities do not determine your species.
I never said it did. What relevance would that even have?
I posted and Zodd said "I agree with this"
You said "I don't"
My entire post was about the fact human life begins at conception. Which tells me you disagree with the scientific fact that human life begins at conception.
Then you said "I had no self awareness as a zygote", implying that the reason you believe human life doesn't start at conception is because, at conception, the zygote does not have self awareness.
Then I presented you with the fact that your cognitive abilities do not determine your species.
... Are you following this now? ---
glitteringfairy: Just build the damn wall ThyCorndog: and how exactly will that stop the mexican space program from orbital dropping illegal immigrants?