> Even saying that "life" begins at conception is tenuous. Gametes (sperm and egg cells) are "alive" in that they carry out the same cellular functions that oth

> Even saying that "life" begins at conception is tenuous. Gametes (sperm and egg cells) are "alive" in that they carry out the same cellular functions that other living cells carry out. Is a zygote more alive than the gametes that came together to form it? I don't know what they actually think, but it seems "life" in that sense might actually be a bit too fuzzy. Gametes are alive, but, for lack of a better term, they're not exactly human. Fertilization is the discrete event that creates an identifiable individual human life. Before that, you have cells that are created and die as a matter of course. After that, you have a more-or-less continuous process of development of an identifiable human organism. > I would ask that you consider if another person's sincerely held beliefs may be valid when they contradict this point of view. I think this goes for all sides. One of the major societal breakdowns regarding this that many people seem to think that they don't need to do that, and prefer instead to consider strawmen that reinforce their personal sense of righteousness.