Friday, November 19, 2004

Embryology quote of the week #2

"The development of a human being begins with fertilization, a process by which two highly specialized cells, the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female, unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote."

[Langman, Jan. Medical Embryology. 3rd edition. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1975, p. 3]

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:29 PM

    I agree life does not begin when the development of the cell begins but when upon the creation of the cell. These microorganisms are still living despite the fact that they are at a disadvantage because they are weak but it does make their destruction any less murder than it is for a fully developed human. By killing embryos we are killing children future members of our own society. Who has ever heard of a specie responsible for it's own extinction than human being beings?

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  2. Anonymous12:00 PM

    Samirah, I respectfully offer the following, that our embryonic brothers and sisters ARE members of our society, not 'future' members. "Embryo" is a very early stage of development in every human being's life, just as "newborn", "toddler", "third-grader" and "legal voter" are. It is we born human beings who label varoius points along the develomental continuum. At all times along that journey, we are human beings. Neither ovum nor sperm is a "new human life". But together, successfully joined, they form the beginning of a new and unique member of our human family.

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