“…it is from the fertilization of the female cell (the ovum) by the male cell (the spermatozoa) that a new member of the species will emerge. …Each individual has a very neat beginning; the moment of its conception.
“The material link is the molecular thread of DNA. In each reproductive cell, this ribbon, roughly one meter long, is cut into pieces (23 in our species). Each segment is carefully coiled and packaged (like a magnetic tape in a minicassette) so that under the microscope it appears like a little rod, a chromosome.
“As soon as the 23 paternally-derived chromosomes are united, through fertilization, to the 23 maternal ones, the full genetic information necessary and sufficient to express all the inborn qualities of the new individual is gathered. Exactly as the introduction of a minicassette inside a tape recorder will allow the restitution of the symphony, the new being begins to express himself as soon as he has been conceived.”
Dr. Jerome Lejeune, French Geneticist – discoverer of Trisomy 21,
the extra chromosome, the cause of Down’s Syndrome.
Testimony before a US Senate Judiciary subcommittee.
The Chronology of Pre-born Human Life
| Beginning of life | The sperm and ovum unite (fertilization), creating a new human being.The scientific name: Zygote. |
| 5 – 9 days | The new individual nestles into the uterine wall (implantation). Composed of hundreds of cells, the tiny new human has developed a protective hormone to prevent the mother’s body from rejecting him as foreign tissue.The scientific name: Embryo. |
| 18 – 22 days | The heart begins to beat, pumping the child’s own blood, often a blood type different from his mother’s. The eyes begin developing along with the entire nervous system, brain and spinal cord. |
| 22 – 42 days (6 weeks) | The ears, mouth, arms, and legs form. The skeleton is complete. Brain waves can be measured on an electro-encephalogram (EEG). |
| 56 days (8 weeks) | All organs are in place. The heart beats steadily; the stomach produces digestive juices; the liver makes blood cells; and the kidneys begin to function.The scientific name changes to Fetus. |
| 10 weeks (2 ½ months) | The body, two inches long, is complete. Fingerprints are present. The child can grasp an instrument; suck his/her thumb; turn somersaults; respond to touch. He can squint, swallow, and frown. |
| 11 weeks | All the baby’s physical systems are functioning. |
| 12 weeks (3 months) | The little one demonstrates distinct individuality and vigorous activity. |
W. Liley, M.D., Research Professor in Perinatal Physiology, declared:
“…biologically at no stage of development can we subscribe to the view that the unborn child is a mere appendage of the mother. Genetically, the mother and baby are separate individuals from conception.”
Definitions
Fetal Age: This measurement uses the child as the frame of reference to discuss the length of pregnancy.
Gestational Age: This measurement uses the mother’s last menstrual period (LMP) as the frame of reference to discuss the length of pregnancy. The gestational age will be two weeks longer than the fetal age…so if the preborn baby has been in existence for six weeks, he is considered to be eight weeks gestational age.
