[Health] FETUS, Is an unborn child a living organism inside your body? Rating Options

Some ppl say that when a fetus is in ur womb it's not really alive until it is outside of the womb. I just want to know what other ppl opinions are.

[Noodlez65]

i dont think a fetus isnt living until it has a heartbeat

[Reichan]

technically it's alive, as cells are alive. However whether or not it has a concious mind is debatable.

[greedy4tvb]

It depends on what ppl think "alive" is. Some might say when the baby opens its eyes or when the first hearbeat or that cells are alive, so technically, the baby was alive since day 1 of fertilization. For me, I think the fetus is alive when the heart starts to beat, which is on day 22. Just because its not out of the womb, doesn't mean its not living and breathing. The fetus is living and breathing in the womb.

[Ingman]

As long the mind is not fully functional, and the heart is still not beating. It isn't "alive" for me. Actually it is alive before that stage, but the definition for "alive" for me in these circumstances is "human live". I think it would apply more in these situations.

I hope that helps you on your way SexyMabes.

[lilbluehorse]

The fetus is alive when it forms a heart, eyes, nose, and fingernails. Even though it did not come out of a woman's vagina, the woman feels that her baby is moving and breathing inside her womb. She is very excited to see her own baby, living in this world.

[aznxthuggie]

I'm not sure where, but it says the baby isn't actually alive til it exits the mothers womb. With your logic, your body houses rediculous amounts of life, even sitting down can possibly kill millions of cells

[kaiman1184]

i really have to disagree with aznxthuggie, a human stays alive by eating and drinking...anything that can eat or drink can be consider "alive". so once the sperm and the egg join as one, it is "alive" because the cells need that energy from the food the mother eat to develop.

[Bless'd]

Some ppl say that when a fetus is in ur womb it's not really alive until it is outside of the womb. I just want to know what other ppl opinions are.

I have heard people say that too. Usually I hear it from people who have had abortions and don't want to be accused of killing their child. Speaking as a person who has worked in the health feild..a fetus is in fact alive before it is outside of the womb. It's heart beats in the womb, it moves in the womb, it may even suck it's thumb in the womb....it is very much alive. If the fetus is healthy it is fucntioning in many ways before it comes out of the womb. If that is not alive...I don't know what is.

This post has been edited by Bless'd: Jan 28 2006 8 07 AM

[dreamless]

A fetus is also alive for me... All cells in ur body are living cells, so after fertilization the cells which are formed in the womb are living cells... After fertilization it's just some cells, which multiply and grow. When something can grow it's indeed alive!

[Reichan]

i really have to disagree with aznxthuggie, a human stays alive by eating and drinking...anything that can eat or drink can be consider "alive". so once the sperm and the egg join as one, it is "alive" because the cells need that energy from the food the mother eat to develop.

All cells are alive. The egg and the sperm themselves are alive.

[lil_viet_gurl]

it's alive even when in the womd how do u think it grows it has a heartbeat and everything. if it wasn;'t alive then it wouldn't be able move around and a fetus does moce around in the womb.

This post has been edited by lil_viet_gurl: Jan 29 2006 1 05 AM

[KaiWen85]

technically it's alive, as cells are alive. However whether or not it has a concious mind is debatable.

thats why alot of scientists , pro-life & pro-choice supporters have a hard time finding a scientific ground , cause apparently they just can't figure it out.

[hoteggroll]

Once the DNA from the egg and sperm unite, then the embryo that gives rise to the fetus is alive. It no longer just has the "potential" to be one thing, it is. It's now an individual that is dependent on the mother for survival. If you have an abortion or your body is rejecting it, then it will die. How can something die if it isn't alive?

[ssien]

I personally believe that the fetus can only be considered alive once the organs are formed and has a heartbeat, other than that, a mass of cells is just a mass of cells. Sure the mass of cells is technically 'alive', but so is cells in culture. If an abortion during the earlier stages is considered murder, are those researchers working with cells in culture is considered mass murderers?

[hoteggroll]

I personally believe that the fetus can only be considered alive once the organs are formed and has a heartbeat, other than that, a mass of cells is just a mass of cells. Sure the mass of cells is technically 'alive', but so is cells in culture. If an abortion during the earlier stages is considered murder, are those researchers working with cells in culture is considered mass murderers?

Personally, I am against abortion. So to answer your question, I think they are. I guess you have to be close-minded like me to believe this. I still believe that the union of two cells to form an individual is a "miracle". May sound corny to some, but I'm trying to have this and from my point of you, it would take a miracle.

[Reichan]

A miracle is an event that defies the normal boundries of nature. Birth is very natural. It is not a miracle.

[hoteggroll]

I meant life is a miracle. It's hard not to talk about the development of what would be a child without getting religious or philosophical. I feel that the embryo/fetus/baby/child is a gift. It's hard to explain why, especially when know one knows how to define human life. I don't support terminating a pregnancy, because you know that living mass of cells will give rise to human being.

[Reichan]

That's your opinion, and I respect it. However, I do not agree with it. Gametes, either sperm or egg cells all have potential to being a mature human, but why is it okay to use contraceptives or masturbate than it is to abort a fetus? Because it has a higher potential of maturing?

[hoteggroll]

If a baby has the potential to develop into an adult, then why couldn't you use the same argument for a zygote who has the potential to develop into a baby? I'm not talking about an unfertilized egg or a sperm cell. I'm talking about two gametes knowingly combining half of their genetic material and fusing together. Scientists to this day can't figure out how these cells know what they are doing. They just know that they are an individual entity and will mature. Scientists actually have to have faith in their understandings of human development. That's why I feel cloning is the next "logical" direction to understand the actual mechanics of 2 cells joining to later develop into a HUMAN being.

But personally I don't think humans should be conceived outside of the mother either. If I don't support abortion how can I support creation outside of the human body?

This post has been edited by hoteggroll: Feb 1 2006 4 16 AM

[Disqe]

Hm.. The question on which the problem of abortion is based upon...You're going to get a big divide in opinions here...

I think the opinion regarding abortion and the right to abort children will affect the opinion of when the child becomes "alive" so to speak...

Technically, anything after fertilization is living.

[audreychinkm]

hmm..interesting subject....but it once a fetus becomes an embro it has a life of it's own...

[lonilonei]

I remember hearing somewhere (probably on tv) that 28 weeks is when the police can officially charge criminals for killing two lives when a pregnant woman is the victim. Maybe the foetus can be considered alive once it reaches that age? That is, that it first begins to really feel and function?

[Zyphere]

Scientifically a fetus isn't 'alive' until a certain stage in pregnancy. I think that's the 28 weeks that lonlilonei posted about. It isn't until then that the fetus has its heartbeart and is technically alive according to scientific terms.

But does it matter? Whether it is alive at that point and time doesn't change the fact that it will soon become alive.

[Reichan]

Scientifically a fetus isn't 'alive' until a certain stage in pregnancy. I think that's the 28 weeks that lonlilonei posted about. It isn't until then that the fetus has its heartbeart and is technically alive according to scientific terms.

But does it matter? Whether it is alive at that point and time doesn't change the fact that it will soon become alive.

From that one may argue, "does it matter? it's going to die sooner or later anyways".

[arn]

it's alive in the inside...because we can't exactly deem it dead

[imlookingatyou]

I think that it is alive. When something is forming in a mother's womb, i consider it alive.

[Fujimi_suki]

if there are cells, and these cells are not ur own cells and have their own genetic coding. And these uniquely not-yours cells are reproducing and taking in nutrients and etc.. then i consider it a living organism in your body. it does not need a brain nor does it needs a heart beat. An organism is a living cell/ a group of cells living together. but if you want to classify this as a baby then it's not at that stage yet.
it's alright if we kill the fetus but not the baby? wat a load of crap.
an organism may not be "advance" enough for "people" to call it a living being, but you cannot deny the fact that it is indeed functioning on it's own pace and growing to become "something". therefore it is wat is it.

[yubad]

someone once said to me "if it looks like us, don't touch it, if it doesn't, it's okay"

I'm not sure if I make sense here, but what is in the womb is called a "fetus" or an "embryo" and not a "human" so it really depends on how people look at it, and with law, what period of time is it considered a life

[emmbie]

I guess it just depends on the person's point of view. If you're pro-choice, you could say that the child isn't alive until birth. Pro-life people would debate it say the baby's alive at the moment of conception. Someone can be alive, yet be dead at the same time. For example, someone in a coma. That person is alive, however he/she's practically dead because he/she can't move, eat, think, etc. So in turn, I think that a fetus isn't "alive" until it can move, think, and have a mind of its own.

[MMCafe]

I guess it just depends on the person's point of view. If you're pro-choice, you could say that the child isn't alive until birth. Pro-life people would debate it say the baby's alive at the moment of conception. Someone can be alive, yet be dead at the same time. For example, someone in a coma. That person is alive, however he/she's practically dead because he/she can't move, eat, think, etc. So in turn, I think that a fetus isn't "alive" until it can move, think, and have a mind of its own.

So your saying a borned child isn't alive as well then? Although it moves, I'm sure it cannot think for it self.

For me I personnally think that abortion is wrong and should not be allowed.

[Reichan]

A borned child would have functioning nevous systems which displays a functioning mind. So yes, it's alive.

[AMbomb]

Fetuses have brain activity. Therefore, they are alive.

[Zicman]

technically, it isnt alive as it is called a fetus. but the question of whether it is living of not, is really a matter of moral. like say, it has a heartbeat, so it constitutes as a living creature. still, i dont believe that abortion is the easy way of ending a life wen u created it in the first place. i mean, obviously u had a hand in its creation so why should it be made to suffer for YOUR mistake? but then again, if it really was an accident, there's a simple answer. dont have sex in the first place. or be more careful we always have an option, and options are making humantity more and more spoilt. so in conclusion, yes, i do believe it is alive, and it deserves a right to live.

[palapa]

its part of the mothers cell until it has a heart and start pumping away

I believe that a human fetus is a human being. I mean, why else would pro life supporters say that they are killing people when they are killing fetuses?

[sy_ong]

well..
it is consider alive...
if u still keep it..
but then certain country will think that taking out the fetus is still legal because they think is not life yet!

[kinky]

i consider it as alive.. and i think u should appreciate it.. so i against of abortion as u r killing one's life

[Reichan]

All cells are alive. If you scratch your bum, you're killing! OMG THAT'S HORRIBLE!

[kaperkatt123]

Of course it is alive. i believe that Fetus or not, it's the birth of two people, where their gametes come together to produce something. Although it is not completely developed, it is still growing and alive. If abortion is to happen, it's like killing a living being. It could be a happy girl or boy but killing it before it can even have a chance to live is really wrong.