In his letter entitled ‘Precursors to human persons’ Christopher Barbara (May 6) brought up a number of scientific facts on which there is no debate. However, he then continued by elaborating on these facts to draw unscientific conclusions.
In my contribution I am going to go through all the facts mentioned, followed by further scientifically accurate remarks which prove that human beings begin their lives at fertilisation.
We agree that “It is a fact that an unfertilised egg is just as alive as a fertilised one.”
The main difference lies in their composition and behaviour. The unfertilised egg is made up of the genetic material of a woman, and its behaviour is that of an egg awaiting penetration for fertilisation. On the contrary, the single-celled embryo (the fertilised egg) is composed of the genetic material of both its parents, and its behaviour is that of an organism, that continues to grow through different stages of human development.
So, while both a fertilised and unfertilised egg are alive, the life of a biological human being scientifically starts at the moment of fertilisation.
We agree that “It is a fact that over half of all fertilised eggs fail to implant and grow in the uterus.”
What Barbara’s explanation seems to disturbingly suggest is that since human beings die naturally, then we should also claim a right to their lives. Analogically, one could compare this to someone who dies of a heart attack versus someone who dies from being stabbed in the heart. While the end result is the same, the means by which they died are significantly different and in no way does natural death justify intentional killing.
The inability to save a preborn child is not equal to the intentional destruction of a human being by abortion
We agree that “It is a fact that one embryo can divide and produce two identical twins.” First of all, there are two types of twins, fraternal and identical. In the case of fraternal twins, the woman releases two eggs and they both get fertilised. In the case of identical twins, this one embryo, prior to implantation, has the ability to split into two. This is not to say that there was never a whole unique human embryo prior to the splitting. The first embryo has been growing from the moment of fertilisation and will continue to do so. At the earliest stages of our development, it is within our ability to split and grow into two individual human beings. Protecting this embryo becomes even more important because we would be protecting two individuals.
We agree that “It is a fact that an early embryo consists of a few cells and has no organs.”
The question I would ask is ‘Why?’ Why doesn’t the early embryo have organs? The reason we don’t have organs during our early stages of development is simply because we haven’t had the time to grow, so the reason is simply based on our age. So, should we protect other humans because they are human, or should we discriminate others on the basis of their age?
Barbara then continues by making the scientifically inaccurate case that embryos are a “biological ‘seed’” and “a precursor” to a human being. This is completely wrong because we know that beings which reproduce sexually begin their lives at the moment of fertilisation.
If our country were to decriminalise abortion, the message society would be getting is that we should not criminalise violent acts on other human beings. To date, our doctors have done remarkably well in dealing with life-challenging situations in pregnancy. They have not yet committed a single abortion and Malta’s maternal mortality rate is among the lowest in the world.
Our doctors are succeeding in saving women’s lives even in challenging situations, and while they don’t always manage to save the preborn child, their intention and responsibility is to do their utmost to save both. The inability to save a preborn child is not equal to the intentional destruction of a human being by means of an abortion.
It is about time we educate and present facts to defend and treat all human beings with the respect they deserve, and not start with facts and manipulate our way through dishonest conclusions.
Christian Briffa, member, ‘I See Life’ youth group