Life at conception raises questions

I hear lots of public opinion about life beginning at conception which has started me thinking about the implications of this idea. Conception occurs when the sperm fertilizes the egg (ovum) and forms a zygote. Pregnancy occurs when the zygote attaches to a wall to get nourishment.

If the zygote doesn't attach and is flushed out of the body, its life is ended. Does this constitute and act of murder? If so, should we collect a female's monthly discharge, check for flushed zygote, and conduct a coroner's inquest at each occurrence? And if the coroner finds the female took action to flush the zygote, should she be charged with murder? How would the coroner decide if such action took place? The zygote may have failed to attach to a wall or might have miscarried naturally. Who knows?

Then there is the case where the zygote attaches to the fallopian tubes and lives but is more like a cancer. Does removing it constitute murder? Does allowing that zygote to grow and eventually kill the host constitute murder? What do you think? Inquiring minds want to know. Just saying life begins at conception raises more questions than it answers.

Leland Belden

Alburnett