Well, the best answer I have is that anything that is most likely to become a child, counts. So, an egg by itself doesn't count. Likewise for sperm. A fertilized egg is more likely to become a child than it is to become a toaster oven, so that's where I tend to draw the line. However, I recognize that many fertilized eggs do not develop and that is why my personal stance on the issue is to limit abortions to the first few weeks.

Originally Posted By: sini
Better question is what makes human sentient.
No, if I have to explain to you why a human life is more important than an amoeba or a cat or a bear, then there is no point having this discussion. Here's a hint, it doesn't have anything to do with why or how we are sentient. Rather, it is that we are or have the capacity to be.

Originally Posted By: sini
While I can't answer your question directly, I can tell you what does not constitutes a child - a blob of cells with no central nervous system and no capacity for sentience.
Don't you think this is a question you should be able to give some semblance of an answer to if you're going to have an opinion? Personally, I like to educate myself a bit before I form an opinion of any given subject. Perhaps that's a fundamental difference between us.

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