Abortion - The Hidden Holocaust Part 5

b. Life in the Womb
i. Prenatal Development

As well as personal observations some notes collated from abort73.com and "Randy Alcorn's "Pro-life Answers to Pro-choice Arguments":

DAY ONE (fertilisation)
The combination of 23 chromosomes from the mother and 23 chromosomes of the father combine to create an entirely new and unique individual.

EIGHT DAYS (from fertilization)
At about eight days after conception, the fertilized ovum (called a blastocyst) implants in the lining of the uterus. It emits chemical substances which weaken the woman's immune system within the uterus so that this tiny "foreign" body is not rejected by the woman's body.

THREE WEEKS (from fertilization) 
By the third week of pregnancy (approximately 21 days after fertilization), the heart begins to beat, pumping blood throughout the body, and the brain begins dividing into three primary sections (forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain). The baby's blood type is different from his mother's.

FOUR WEEKS (from fertilization)
Arms and legs begin taking shape at four weeks, and the embryo is now surrounded and protected by the amniotic sac.

FIVE WEEKS (from fertilization)
Permanent kidneys appear during the fifth week, and the external portions of the ear begin to differentiate. Hands and wrists are also beginning to take shape.

SIX WEEKS (from fertilization) 
By the sixth week, the brain emits waves which register on an EEG (electroencephalogram). This is the legal standard for determining if someone is alive after birth. The heartbeat can be heard with an ultrasonic stethoscope; the embryo responds reflexively to stimulus and may be able to feel pain. Bone ossification begins at this point as well. Remember what Job said in Job 10:11 - "Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews."

SEVEN WEEKS (from fertilization)
Startle responses can be observed after 7 weeks, and female ovaries are now identifiable. Fingers and toes are now distinctly separated, and knee joints are present.

EIGHT WEEKS (from fertilization)
By the eighth week of pregnancy, every organ is present and in place. Ninety percent of the structures found in an adult human being can now be found in this tiny embryo which is only about an inch and a half long. The brain, at this point, makes up almost half of the embryo's total body weight, and 75% of 8-week embryos demonstrate right-hand dominance. Intermittent breathing motions (though there is no air present in the uterus) occur, the kidneys begin producing urine, and male testes are releasing testosterone. As the skin thickens, it loses much of its transparency.

NINE WEEKS (from fertilization)
The eyelids close at this point, and foetuses are now capable of sucking their thumb, swallowing amniotic fluid, grasping objects and responding to touch. The uterus can be recognized in female foetuses and external genitalia become more recognizable.

TEN WEEKS (from fertilization)
Fingernails, toenails and unique fingerprints all appear. Twenty tiny teeth have begun to form in the gums.

TWELVE WEEKS (from fertilization)
Babies at this stage have Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. REM indicates dreaming.

TWENTY-ONE WEEKS (from fertilization)
Viability generally begins at 21-weeks (barely 1/2 of full gestation) when a baby has a 15% chance of survival outside the womb.

ii. Abortion is Legal in all these stages

We must realise that the level of development does not determine life. Abortion at 20 days is just as terrible and wrong as abortion at 20 weeks. It has already been shown that life begins at conception but the fact that abortion occurs at later dates demonstrates the degradation of our society.

I want to ask the congregation a question. If a doctor is determining whether a body is dead or alive how does he reach his conclusion? To verify life or death the doctor will look for a heart beat and brainwaves. If he finds no heart beat he will conclude that the body is dead and if he finds no brainwaves he will conclude the body is brain dead also.

At three weeks the baby has a recognisable heartbeat and at six weeks there are recordable brainwaves. Every aborted child from this point forcefully has his heart and brainwaves stopped. Normally we would call that death and the process by which that death came, murder. To confuse the situation the pro-abortion crowd call it abortion and in this way remove the humanity from the baby and the crime from the process.

Though I use terms like abortion and termination we must interpret both as murder. When ever someone speaks of an embryo or foetus we must interpret them as saying baby. Embryo is used of any living creature at an early stage of development. Foetus is a Latin word that is translated as "Offspring, young one or little child". A different stage of development does not give more reason to refer to the baby as more or less human. I am no less human at 26 than I will be at 36.

When someone refers to the baby in the womb as "it" we must interpret their meaning as "he" or "she". Some will use the terminology "it" because the do not know the sex of the child, but many mean it as a de-humanising term to alleviate their conscious. After all, it is easier to say "I aborted it" rather than "I killed him" or "I had her killed".