# conception **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 7, 2003, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726 "2003-07-07T06:28:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/1 "2003-07-07T06:28:56Z")
does life really begin at conception? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/2 "2003-07-07T06:44:55Z")
No, life begins at 40. Haven’t you read the t-shirts and mugs? This, and all other potentially abortion-related questions, needs to go in Great Debates. Besides, no one can give a definitive, factual, yes-or-no answer to this question. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/3 "2003-07-07T06:49:35Z")
I’m assuming this will get moved rather than closed, so I will post here… For my part, I believe life begins when the fetus develops a stable heartbeat during the second trimester and is thus theoretically capable of living without the mother. In actuality, I believe it remains a “potential” rather than actual life until birth. Yes, I really just said that. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/4 "2003-07-07T06:55:41Z")
Even before conception. Ova and sperm are unquestionably alive. I don’t think the OP is worded particularly well. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/5 "2003-07-07T07:01:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by captainQwark \* > \*\*does life really begin at conception? \*\* Depends on how you define “life”. Personally, I consider a person to truly be alive once the brain starts functioning. A fetus has full brain activity in the third trimester, and that is the stage at which I would consider the fetus “alive” in the sense of being an actual human life (as opposed to the _potential_ for human life). But then, my concept of “life” is not universal. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/6 "2003-07-07T07:11:17Z")
I know when I wake up tomorrow morning, there will have been a flood of people suggesting that I’m either an idiot or just an unpleasant fellow… …so I will point out that we measure a life as beginning at birth regardless of how clearly the date of conception can be fixed; wouldn’t you feel ridiculous calling a newborn four months old? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/7 "2003-07-07T07:23:13Z")
A zygote begins at conception. Nasty little one celled bacteria-like critters! Ewww! Squish it! ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/8 "2003-07-07T07:26:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dutchboy208 \* > \*\*I know when I wake up tomorrow morning, there will have been a flood of people suggesting that I’m either an idiot or just an unpleasant fellow… > > …so I will point out that we measure a life as beginning at birth regardless of how clearly the date of conception can be fixed; wouldn’t you feel ridiculous calling a newborn four months old? \*\* Why wait until tomorrow morning? “Four months old”? Do you know anything about human reproduction at all? Or were you assuming that some other species was being discussed? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/9 "2003-07-07T07:30:06Z")
Off to Great Debates. **DrMatrix** ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/10 "2003-07-07T07:34:18Z")
Life does not begin over and over. It began. Apparently it began 4 billion years ago on earth. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/11 "2003-07-07T07:36:25Z")
Nice name, **captainQwark**. That game rocks. I believe the GQ answer for this question was “no” because life exists before, during, and immediately after conception. The sperm and egg are living cells, and the zygote is also made of living cells. The cells do not stop living at any point. Whether “a life” is created, and at which point that happens, depends entirely on your definition of “a life” and your personal beliefs. Since the thread is in GD now, I guess it’s time to move on to that one. Whee. ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/12 "2003-07-07T07:43:46Z")
Of course, then there’s the question I’ve always wanted the pro-lifers to answer: what is this “moment of conception” you people keep talking about? i.e. if life begins at “the moment of conception,” when is that? ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/13 "2003-07-07T07:57:39Z")
There is no such thing as “a life”, just “life”. Isn’t ‘a life’ just a figure of speech for a consciuous existance. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/14 "2003-07-07T14:22:49Z")
dutchboy208 - believe life starts whenever you want, but at least get your facts correct. The embryo’s heart starts beating 5-6 weeks after the egg is fertilized, which can be seen on ultrasound. It can be heard with a doppler at 8-10 weeks after fertilization. The first trimester includes the first 14 weeks after fertilization, so the heart starts beating half way through the first trimester, not in the middle of the second trimester. With medical technology being what it is, premature babies have a 50/50 chance of surviving outside the womb at 18 weeks post fertilization. Just ten years ago there was no chance of survival at that age. The better medical science gets, the earlier and earlier a fetus will be able to survive on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/15 "2003-07-09T16:18:02Z")
Heck! Life begins about an hour earlier when yer coppin’ a feel at the drive-in! ---
**Author:** ![whatsallthisabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb9ed0/32.png) [@whatsallthisabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsallthisabout)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conception/186726/16 "2003-07-09T17:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dutchboy208 \* > \*\* I believe life begins when the fetus develops a stable heartbeat during the second trimester and is thus theoretically capable of living without the mother. > > In actuality, I believe it remains a “potential” rather than actual life until birth. > > Yes, I really just said that. \*\* Since when does an organism have to be capable of living without a host (or mother) to be considered alive? And since when does an organism need a heartbeat to be considered alive?