Re: 10 weeks development = 40mm = 1.6 inches

It is very nice that you can take part of an argument and exaggerate it to its logical conclusion in an attempt to dispute it. However I do not advocate judging a person on one dimension and one dimension only.

You do.

You and those in the anti-abortion, pro-life stands look at a zygote or fetus and say it's a human being. For you a fetus is a synonym for a person. (Is it?) That's all one needs is to act or behave like a fetus to be a person? I have mentioned the lack of physiological as well as the lack of behavioral development in the fetus in prior posts (you can an example below). You imbue the fetus with qualities it does not have. Now, why would you do that?

There is a continuum in life that is obvious to everyone but those who have tossed it aside, for whatever convenient reason(s). In this case the continuum is from small to larger and coming along with it are behavioral changes. People do judge by size. They have different expectations based on it. The zygote, or the fetus lacks tremendous human abilities of which size is only one such quality present in miniscule amount. Yet even this obvious difference between the size of a regular person (or a newborn) and that of a fetus you tried to make fun of to make it sound silly. You still do not want to admit that a cluster of zygote cells, or a 1 ounce, 2 inch fetus is vastly different from a person as if admitting that would cost you something.

It is hard to decide in the gray area between person and not-a-person which is which, (for we all value different things in a person) but the zygote lacks enourmous amounts of behavioral qualities that a person has and that's why it's not called a person.

Here is an example from my previous post on 11/18/2004 (Is Potential Enough?)

"Just by giving these cells a title of person does not imbue the cells with anymore qualities other than what it is--a collection of cells. People are defined by their behavior, as are real children, not cells the size of a pinhead. Is that pinhead evergoing to help anybody out, make a loan to a friend, empathize, or work? Don't both parents have to do everything for it? Those with a myopic view of what a person is would agree with your statement and conclusions. You seem fond of the Bible--isn't there someone in the Bible who said, "By their actions ye shall know them?" Wasn't He talking about people?"


...for those who find it useful:
behavior - to act
...........how one conducts one's self, usually outwardly
continuum - a series of steps or gradations for example from
...........low to higher and higher pitch in a musical scale
myopic - needs glasses
miniscule - very, very small in comparison with--(something)