Here's something I've been wondering about.
It's obvious that both the female egg and the male sperm have a form of life but no one would call either a “person”. At conception, when they unite to form a zygote, is that a person? I've always said yes, because from that point on it can be nothing else – but after a little thinking, I wonder if that is always true.
Let's assume for a moment that the zygote is a person and let's call that person Larry. Now, we all know that a zygote develops into a two-celled embryo through meiosis (cell division). However, every now and again the first cell division does not produce a two-celled embryo but rather a second zygote. These two zygotes, if nothing happens to them, will develop into what are called monozygotic (identical) twins.
Did Larry suddenly become two persons? Was he two persons to begin with? Was he even a person at all? Let's set those questions aside for the moment and assume that the second zygote is also a person whom we'll call Harry.
It is entirely possible that one or both of these zygotes could divide again to produce triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets etc. The same question applies as to whether one person can became two, three or more persons. When does a person become a person?
These questions are difficult enough but now it becomes even more complex. Rarely, the two zygotes (Larry and Harry) merge back together again into a two-celled embryo called a “chimera”. Who is this new embryo? Is it Larry or is it Harry?
This new embryo, this chimera, let's call it Larry, develops to term and is born. There is now no question at all that Larry is indeed a person. But here is the odd thing, some of the Larry's organs carry his genes but other organs carry the genes of his twin brother Harry. Larry may even have Harry’s blood type as well as his own. Biologically, Harry continues to exist within Larry (or perhaps it is Larry within Harry).
If a unique person with a unique soul begins at conception, what can be said about Larry and Harry?
No comments:
Post a Comment