Stages of Development, From an Ovum & Spermatozoonn to a Newborn

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  • In 54 countries (61% of the world population) abortions are legal.
  • In 97 countries (39% of the world population) abortions are illegal.
  • There are approximately 46 million abortions conducted eacy year, 20 million of them obtained illegally.
  • There are approximately 126,000 abortions conducted each day.

A Nation of "Morons" - Other Articles

From:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_fetu.htm

The process leading up to the birth of a newborn baby can be divided into many steps:

bullet About 1 month before conception : Almost all adult males produce thousands of spermatozoa (male germ cells) each second. It would take about 500 of them lined up in a row to total 1 inch in length. They take a month or so to travel from a testicle, through a long tube called the "vas deferens," to reach a small reservoir inside the man's prostate gland. Here, semen (a mixture of spermatozoa and various fluids) is formed. Each spermatozoon contains human DNA. They certainly appear to be living organisms. As seen in a microscope, they seem to be moving energetically with the sole motivation of fusing with an ovum. Most people consider them to be a form of human life, because they appear alive and contain human DNA. Strictly speaking, spermatozoon are not alive . Its movements are due to chemical reactions.
bullet Perhaps one day before conception : The woman ovulates and produces one mature ovum (egg cell). It travels down one of her fallopian tubes towards her uterus. It is about 1/100" in diameter, and is barely visible to the naked eye. It also considered by most of the public to be a form of human life, for the above reasons. But it is not actually a living organism. It has been described as an "inert globule of organic matter." It does carry a cargo of human DNA.
bullet fovum.gif (6674 bytes)At conception : One very lucky spermatozoon out of hundreds of millions ejaculated by the man will penetrate the outside layer of the ovum and fertilize it. The surface of the ovum changes its electrical characteristics and prevents additional sperm from entering. A genetically unique entity is formed shortly thereafter, called a zygote. This is commonly referred to as a " fertilized ovum ." However that term is not really valid because the ovum ceases to exist after conception. Half of its 46 chromosomes come from the egg's 23 chromosomes and the other half from the spermatozoon's 23. It has a unique DNA structure, different from that of the ovum and the spermatozoon. The zygote is  " ...is biologically alive. It fulfills the four criteria needed to establish biological life:
  1. metabolism,
  2. growth,
  3. reaction to stimuli, and
  4. reproduction. " 1

It can reproduce itself through twinning at any time up to about 14 days after conception; this is how identical twins are caused.

Conception is the point that most, or all, pro-life groups and conservative Christians define as the beginning of pregnancy. 8 They also define the start of a human person as occurring at conception. The medical definition of the start of pregnancy is about 10 days later , at implantation.  The zygote divides into two cells, called blastomeres. They subdivide once every 12 to 20 hours as the zygote slowly passes down the fallopian tubes.

bullet About 3 days after conception: The zygote now consists of 16 cells and is called a 16 cell morula (a.k.a. pre-embryo). It has reached the junction of the fallopian tube and the uterus.
bullet 5 days or so after conception : A cavity appears in the center of the morula. The group of cells are now called a blastocyst, has traveled down the fallopian tubes and has started to attach itself to the endometrium, the inside wall of the uterus (a.k.a. womb). The cells in the inside of the blastocyst, called the embryoblast, start forming the embryo. The outer cells, called the trophoblast, start to form the placenta. It continues to be referred to as a pre-embryo. 2
bullet 9 or 10 days after conception: The blastocyst has fully attached itself to endometrium. Primitive placental blood circulation has begun.
bullet 12 days or so after conception: The blastocyst has started to produce hormones which can be detected in the woman's urine. This is is the event that all (or almost) all pro-choice groups and almost all physicians (who are not conservative Christians) define to be the start of pregnancy. If instructions are followed exactly, a home-pregnancy test may reliably detect pregnancy at this point, or shortly thereafter.
bullet 13 or 14 days after conception : A " primitive streak " appears. It will later develop into the fetus' central nervous system. This is the point at which spontaneous division of the blastocyst -- an event that sometimes generates identical twins -- is not longer possible. The pre-embryo is now referred to as an embryo. It is a very small blob of undifferentiated tissue at this stage of development.
bullet 3 weeks : The embryo is now about 1/12" long, the size of a pencil point. It most closely resembles a worm - long and thin and with a segmented end. Its heart begins to beat about 18 to 21 days after conception. Before this time, the woman might have noticed that her menstrual period is late; she might suspect that she is pregnant and conduct a pregnancy test. If it is an unwanted pregnancy, she might have arranged and carried through with an abortion.
bullet 4 weeks : The embryo is now about 1/5" long. It looks something like a tadpole. The structure that will develop into a head is visible, as is a noticeable tail. The embryo has structures like the gills of a fish in the area that will later develop into a throat.
bullet 5 weeks : Tiny arm and leg buds have formed. Hands with webs between the fingers have formed at the end of the arm buds. Fingerprints are detectable. The face "has a distinctly reptilian aspect." 1
bullet 6 weeks : The embryo is about 1/2" long. The face has two eyes on the side of its head; the front of the face has "connected slits where the mouth and nose eventually will be." 1
bullet 7 weeks : The embryo has almost lost its tail. "The face is mammalian but somewhat pig-like." 1 Pain sensors appear. Many conservative Christians believe that the embryo can feel pain. However, the higher functions of the brain have yet to develop, and the pathways to transfer pain signals from the pain sensors to the brain have not developed at this time.
bullet 2 months : The embryo's face resembles that of a primate but is not fully human in appearance. Some of the brain begins to form; this is the " reptilian brain " that will function throughout life. The embryo will respond to prodding, although it has no consciousness at this stage of development. The brain's higher functions do not develop until much later in pregnancy.
bullet 10 weeks : The embryo is now called a fetus. Its face looks human; its gender may be detectable.
bullet 3 months : The fetus is about 3 inches long and weighs about an ounce. Fingernails and bones can be seen. Over 90% of all abortions are performed before this stage. 9
bullet 4 months : It is 8" long and weighs about a half pound. The fetus' movements may begin to be felt. Its heartbeat can usually be detected.
bullet 5 months/21.8 weeks : 12" long and weighing about a pound, the fetus' has hair on its head. Its movements can be felt. An abortion is usually unavailable at this gestational age because of state and province medical society regulations, except under very unusual circumstances. Half-way through this month, the fetus' lungs may be developed to the point where it would have a chance to live on its own. State laws and medical association regulations generally outlaw abortions beyond 20 or 21 weeks gestation, except under very unusual circumstances.
bullet 6 months/26 weeks : 14" long and almost two pounds. The lungs' bronchioles develop. Interlinking of the brain's neurons begins. The higher functions of the fetal brain turn on for the first time. Some rudimentary brain waves can be detected. The fetus will be able to feel pain for the first time. It will be conscious of its surroundings.
bullet 7 months : 16" long and weighing about three pounds. Regular brain waves are detectable which are similar to those in adults.
bullet 8 months : 18" long and weighing about 5 pounds.
bullet 9 months : 20" long and with an average weight of 7 pounds, a full-term fetus' is typically born about this time.

For those who argue for abortion and will argue it to their dying day, I will pray for you every day anyway. I'm sorry you never heard the truth and I'm sorry you will never know the meaning of love and peace that comes with wanting to help children be born. Your argument is for death. "Abortion is proLife" can't make sense and you know it.

How to discuss abortion

Most of the time all you have to calmly say is "it's not right to kill people in the womb". When they bring up the word "choice" ask them "choose what?"

Always remain calm. We are coming at it from the perspective of life, but they may have have killed one of their children in the womb and it could be painful. Not just a woman, but a man might have said to his girlfriend or wife "what are you going to do" and lives with those painful words forever after.

1) "I'm Pro-Life but I believe in a woman's right to choose"

Choose what? They will hate this question and will try to dodge it. Calmly continue asking what their choice is. You can state that you choose life, so what is it that they are choosing?

2) "You are anti choice"

Okay, I'll go with that label, I don't mind at all being called "anti choice", do you mind going along with the same label from my direction? I am pro life, you are anti ??? let them fill it in themselves, don't' say anti life for them.

3) "It's not up to me to tell a woman what to do with her body"

It is up to us as a civilized world to stop people from killing their children. If people need counseling or financial support they should get it. Only Margaret Sanger, a proponent of Eugenics who wanted to get rid of the "feeble minded" and impoverished in America would go along with the argument that a person who is poor shouldn't have children.

4) "There are already too many people in the world"

That's no excuse for killing your children

5) "I don't have enough money"
It's not the child's fault

6) "Women will go back to back alley abortions"
That's an unfortunate and unnecessary choice

7) "It was an accident"
Sex doesn't happen to you, you make it happen

8) "I was raped"
The child shouldn't be killed because of someone else's actions

9) "The baby might be sick"
You don't know that & doctors are wrong many times. Don't kill the child because you "think" it might be sick.

The way to debate abortion is calmly and stay with the main point, that abortion kills a human being. All the other arguments that people will throw at you are only to try and distract you. If you don't hold ground that to protect life is a moral responsibility you will lose. Don't call people murderers or sinners, that only shuts them down. To us it is murder and a sin, but that is different then calling someone a murderer or a sinner.

Someone challenged me with that once. He said "you say abortion is murder and a moral sin, so are you calling a woman a murderer if she has one?". I said, I will not tell her she is a murderer. I will say abortion is killing an innocent child and therefore it is murder, and murder is a moral sin, but I'm not going to yell it in her face. . She can put 2 and 2 together herself. I don't have to push my finger into her chest. That would be cruel and wrong.

If you let the abortion debate break into a heated argument it's all over, so once again, like I say so many times, be calm. You don't know what the other person is thinking or has been through.

I have been debating abortion for 28 years since my child was taken away from me by the parents of my girlfriend who decided a baby wasn't in her best interests.

I had no "choice" in the matter and my child was killed.

I will never forget.

Which brings me to end of my rant. The only way we are going to end abortion is through our Pro-Life Unity. The time to step up and speak for Life is now! Join us at monthlycallforlife.com. We know how we are going to end abortion. You're either a part of the solution or you're hiding from your own responsibility and you have no right to debate the issue!

Well, I know there are plenty of you already doing your part for the Pro-Life world, so I'm not dig'n on all of you. :)

But I am saying we ALL need to get together to do our part. If you are working in woman's ministry, health care, pregnancy centers, Pro-life websites, Pro-Life blogs or are working in the Pro-Life world in any way, you still have to speak up in the Monthly Call for Life at monthlycallforlife.com.

Why is now the time? Because we didn't have the Internet before. With the Internet you can email your friends, they can email their friends and before you know it, we will have a million people calling our representatives!

Spread the word and get excited...with all our voices calling out at once we will win this battle!

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