When Does Life Begin?

This past week marked the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that essentially has led to abortion on demand in America. The Southern Baptist Convention has designated the week as a time to pray for the unborn and stand up for innocent life. In light of this I wanted to write about something that is a fairly recent discovery in the science of the unborn.

Just two years ago scientists were able to observe a flash of light when a human egg was fertilized in a laboratory. When the egg is fertilized there is a surge of calcium, causing zinc to shoot out of the zygote. The flash of light can be seen using fluorescence microscopy.

While this information may not mean much to some, it is vitally important. Proponents of abortion like to say that there is no way of knowing when life begins, and if we cannot know for sure, then abortion is just the removal of an unwanted mass. But this flash of light—this zinc shooting out from a fertilized egg—is a fireworks show celebrating the start of a new life.

We also know that every zygote is genetically complete. At that very second of conception the fertilized egg has all it needs; the unborn child’s gender, hair and eye color, and height are already locked into its unique DNA. This is not a potential person, it is a person in its smallest form.

The Bible also gives us an indication that life inside the womb is special. David said God knit him together in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). God told Jeremiah that He knew the prophet before He formed him in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). All life is created by God, and is therefore special. We must always stand up to protect innocent life, for they were created in the image of God, and are fearfully and wonderfully made.