Many anti stem cell/ abortion groups believe a fertilized egg should have the rights of a human being. This idea to scientists is ludicrous, but these groups believe a fertilized egg will become a human being, period. This idea is absurd because, after an egg is fertilized, it is not guaranteed to become a human being.
In all processes there are different steps to obtaining whatever goal was trying to be reached. Just because a process begins, does not mean that ultimately it would finish successfully. An example of this is a boy who dreamed of make his high school basketball team. One of the first steps was to get the paperwork done for said team. A physical must be obtained and waivers have to be signed. Once this is done and turned in, he can now try out for the team. The fact that this first step was completed does not indicate he will be on the team when tryouts are finished; he was merely eligible to be tested to see if he could be on the team. The concept should be applied to a fertilized egg. There are many inhibiting factors that may inhibit the fertilized egg from developing into a human.
Another way a fertilized egg can fail to develop into a human being is failing to make it to the womb and becomes trapped inside of the Fallopian tube. This form of pregnancy is called an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnacies occur 1 in every 80 pregnancies. The newly fertilized egg is unable to escape the Fallopian tube and begins to attempts to develop. As a result, the egg inevitably dies, and the woman carrying this misplaced egg would need medical attention due to internal bleeding.
The process of a fertilized egg to become a zygote is not guaranteed. During the period known as “preimplantation development” about 50 percent of all fertilized eggs fail due to genetic errors. These errors do not result in deformed individuals nor miscarriage, but rather they just die. These blastocyts would never be able to develop past the point they already have, let alone becoming humans. The “preimplantation development” periods refers to when a fertilized egg attempts to embed itself into the uterine wall. After fertilization, newly formed embryos release a hormone known as trypsin. Trypsin signals the womb to prepare its lining for implantation; this allows for preimplantation development to occur, but fertilized eggs with genetic defects have altered signals. This causes for different hormones to be released. As a result, a stress response occurs in the uterine lining , making implantation next to impossible.
Even if a blastocyt overcomes the 50/50 chances of having an error in the DNA and was able to embed itself into the uterine wall, another barrier lies ahead. Miscarriage inhibits 10 to 25 percent of all clinically recognized pregnancies. Miscarriages are caused by many different reasons; they include hormonal problems, immune system responses to the newly formed embryo, infections, preexisting medical conditions in the mother, etc.
A fertilized egg does not mean a human would ultimately be developed over time. The major forces inhibiting the development of these fertilized eggs into human beings are ectopic pregnancies, mistakes in the genetic code, and the possibility of a miscarriage occuring. In all of these cases, the fertilized egg would never become a human being.
Sources:
- Caplan, Arthur. “When Does Human Life Begin?” Council for Secular Humanism. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
- Rettner, Rachael. “Fate of a Fertilized Egg: Why Some Embryos Don’t Implant.” Live Science. N.p., 06 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
- Conger, Krista. “Earlier, More Accurate Prediction of Embryo Survival Enabled by Research.” News Center. N.p., 03 Oct. 1970. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
- “What Is an Ectopic Pregnancy? – The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.” The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
Rowan Counterintuitive 