When do you believe fetus becomes a person?

A fetus becomes a person when the breath of life is received from the mothers blood supply, and a unique individual begins their life. Once that breath of life is cut off, if the baby cant`t breath on their own, a human life will have ended.

There is no scientific evidence, or you don't want there to be scientific evidence? And, are we talking about killing, or murdering?

Can we murder a child five years after birth because we believe it isn't a person? Less than 5 years? Less than 4, 3, 2? Less than 12 months, 6 or 1? Less than two week? Less than a day? Less than 12 hours?

It's important to be precise here, because if you say around a certain time, then sometimes your commiting murder, and sometimes your not.

Let's continue: 6 hours, 2, or 1? 30 minutes, 20, 10 1? How about an hour early? Prematures babies live all the time. A day early? A week early? A month, or 2, or 3? Remember, at one of these points, you're murdering a human being. 6 months? 8 months?

Should viability or dependency be a determining factor? Because we are all dependent on one another to one degree or another at one time or another. People in care centers need to have food brought to them; are they unviable? If you stopped a parent from being fed in a care center to let them die, should that be okay? Why haven't you fought for that right?

Since we are talking about murder, the most egregious sin towards man, we need to contemplate the act of abortion very seriously. We know with all certainty that an ovum is not a human being, nor is a sperm. After they meet, we have to yield to the possibility that the fertalized egg is a human being or consider the possibility that we are murderers if we stop their development and growth.

But, why not give the baby, at any point in development, the benefit of the doubt. Why not, as an act of love, carry the baby to term and raise it yourself, or give it to a loving family who would like to adopt it. Why look for scientific evidence to try and determine a timeline for snuffing it out so you can do it with a clean conscience?

<<When do you believe fetus becomes a person?>>

The moment of conception.

<<There is no <snip> living human being.>>

There is ample scientific evidence. The fact you don't want to acknowledge any of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

<<It is all <snip> is your reasoning?>>

Science teaches that a single cell constitutes life. Science teaches that even a clump of cells constitutes life. So why is it so hard to believe that a human being is alive simply because it's in a womb?

It's not philosophical. It's science.

<<So if it is after birth should it be legal to kill a newborn if you choose as it is not yet a person?>>

A human being is a human being from the moment of conception. Therefore, a human being isn't going to somehow inexplicably lose that humanity at some arbitrary point between conception and birth - only to somehow inexplicably get their humanity back again at some arbitrary point in the future?!?!?!?!?!

What "science" do you have that even suggests that idea?

A "person" is defined by sentience. That is the ability to think, feel emotion, and be self-aware. This happens at some point after birth. We don't know when exactly, but it certainly does not take place in utero.

Update: No you should not be able to kill a newborn because A) we don't know when sentience will occur, and B) it is now removed from the mother's body so there is no justifiable reason for terminating the baby as the mother's rights of autonomy over her body no longer concern the baby's ability to live. Birth is a clear bright line to draw as the time beyond which abortion is unacceptable. Exceptions can be (and are) made for rare babies that are born with severe debilitations that would relegate them to a short and painful life.

When the fetus is no longer dependent on the mother's body for survival. The earliest it can live outside the womb is 24 weeks. However, it shouldn't be illegal after 24 weeks either because the medical industry will regulate itself. Good luck getting a doctor to perform an abortion after 24 weeks, unless there is something severely wrong with the fetus.

@Paul: WTH. Slave Plantations? We don't have any laws in Canada regulating abortions and it works just fine. Doctors don't have to worry about bureaucracy interfering with their medical decisions.

When it is born.

Before that point, it is at best a guest inside of a person's body.

A guest that can make them seriously ill physically; emotionally and/or psychologically, cause them to be unable to care for their children, or even kill them.

At worst, it is a trespasser who can do all of that.

Something inhabiting their body without their consent.

Which is a violation of human rights.

No one has the right to a person's body, organs, or blood without consent.

No one can force a person to give body, organs, or blood.

Not even to save a life.

It becomes a person when it can sustain itself.

Meaning, it can breath without using a person's blood.

It can get nutrition without using a person's blood.

It can survive outside of a person's uterus.

Even a new born baby can breath oxygen.

Even a new born baby can take substance from numerous sources. Be it donated breast milk, or formula.

Even a new born baby doesn't need to constantly be around one person to the point it would die the moment it's not around them.

There is scientific proof - it is a human being at the moment of conception.

Personhood is a legal concept. And as sad chapters of history such as slavery and the Holocaust teach us, sometimes people get it horribly wrong.

When the host organism aka mommy, accepts social responsibility, for that clump of cells, or at birth. Barring, of course, changes in medical condition which threatens the life of the mother.

In my opinion when the Fetus can sustain itself with nothing more than a mothers milk and love is the cut off point. I would draw a very hard line at 6 months after pregnancy.

don't enter spirituality into this discussion.

As far as "self aware" is concerned, Cellular memory theoretically can exist before sex ever takes place, would recalling having been aware be self aware? would an elephant be a person?

When it completely crosses the vagina into the world, able to live with help or without.

Before that, it is a parasite and dependent on the mother for life.