Life Links 1-5-12
by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat
- Planned Parenthood has opened a new office in Johnson City, Tennessee and is relocating an abortion clinic in Waco, Texas.
- The Rockford abortion clinic which failed two inspections in a row can reopen if they pay a fine of $9,750. If they pay the fine and reopen, they can be shut down if 2012 inspections find any of the deficiencies found in 2011 inspections. Or they can pay a $1,000 fine and close.
RH Reality Check’s Robin Marty thinks violations like not having a nurse in the operating room and abortionists not having privileges with licensed hospitals have “very little to do with the actual services that it provides.”
- For some reason, Jill at Feministe seems to think the fact that cells from the unborn child cross over the placenta and stay in the child’s mother for years is somehow helpful to proving that the unborn aren’t distinct, unique human beings.
- She presents no argument, so I’m struggling to see why she would think cells from Human Being A existing in Human Being B proves that Human Being A isn’t a distinct, unique human being. Transferred organs with the DNA of distinct, unique human beings live in other human beings for years. Does that prove organ donors aren’t distinct, unique human beings?
- The web page she links to also hurts the ol’ “fetus is a parasite” argument as it notes the cells from the unborn child inside the mother help the mother:
… [S]ome fetal cells can also “migrate to injury sites” and speed up healing, as well as minimize scars after pregnancy and normalize skin structure — meaning that baby is helping to restore mommy!
[Photo via gizmodo.com]

It does prove that, in a biological sense, they are alive as long as those organs are alive.
The whole controversy over whether life begins at fertilization brings into focus the validity of the distinction between the biological and social definitions of death.
A fertilized egg is clearly a distinct human organism with a unique genetic code. If that fertilized egg dies, then the organism is killed.
But what happens after mitosis, when the cell divides into two cells. Which cell was the original fertilized egg. Which cell contains the human life?
The answer is that they both do. They both are alive, and have the same DNA. For the human to die, both of these cells must die.
The same holds true with successive generations of mitosis. It is perfectly clear that in order for a human to be biologically dead, every cell that was a mitosic descendant of the original fertilized egg must be dead.
Now let us consider the case of Courtney Nash. After an amoeba killed some of her cells, other cells were successfully transplanted in the bodies of other people. Those cells are mitosic descendants of the original fertilized egg. Those cells still have her DNA. Those transplanted cells are still alive. Therefore, in a biological sense, Courtney Nash is alive.
And yet, she is considered dead by society, merely because she has no brain function. Her family considers her dead.
If the absence of brain function is an indicator of death, as the Nash family thinks it is, then the presence of brain function must be a necessary indicator of a living person, and as such a fertilized egg can not be a living person. One can not have asymmetrical criteria for life or death, because otherwise you would have situations where a human life can never die, or is dead before it is alive.
Is Courtney Nash dead or alive?
they have nothing so they will try anything. period!
Is Courtney Nash dead or alive?
If the Mother and Baby are not distinct human beings and are more like co-joined twins then the argument that both entities have a right to life becomes even sharper!!! Also the question of whose body is it anyway can be raised!
Perhaps, due to this avenue of thinking it will be more clear to the pro-aborts that the female body does have an unique biological function: to bring forth life. That her body/uterus is not a gas chamber, electric chair, or hospital room to dispense lethal injections!!
Michael, direction matters – a body/soul coming together versus a body/soul falling apart.
But what happens after mitosis, when the cell divides into two cells. Which cell was the original fertilized egg. Which cell contains the human life?
Faulty premise. 1.) there is no such thing as a “fertilized egg”. After the point of fertilization, a zygote exists. 2.) culturing a single cell from a human being who has died and keeping that culture alive does not mean that that human being is still alive. You’re falling prey to the fallacious argument that most (all?) pro-legal-abortionists fall into in order to try and intentionally misconstrue pro-lifers, which is: a cell belonging to a human being is not a human being. There is a profound difference between a spermatozoon/ovum/organs/other tissue and an entirely new human being after fertilization (zygote/embryo/fetus). It’s why the whole, “You want to outlaw masturbation! LOLOLOLOLOL” doesn’t work. Because we actually know and comprehend basic developmental biology. which brings me to my 3rd point, 3.) after the point of fertilization, at least one new human being exists. More than one exists at the point of twinning, when the blastocyst splits into two blastocysts. Can you count to two? THAT is when two human beings are alive instead of one as was previously. Which brings me to my last comment on your nonsense:
The same holds true with successive generations of mitosis. It is perfectly clear that in order for a human to be biologically dead, every cell that was a mitosic descendant of the original fertilized egg must be dead.
That is patently false. A cell or a few cells that once belonged to an organism are not the organism itself, and it’s quite possible for an ORGANISM to be entirely dead yet have some cells which have not yet died in existence. Do you know what an organism is?
Micahel, you must understand the distinction between and a part. Please respect the dead.
RIP Courtney Nash.
oh, and in summation, she is dead. The entire organism that she was has ceased functioning as a whole, none of her bodily structures remain functioning within the organism she once was. She is dead. And, having cells inside their bodies that once belonged to her (single organs not functioning within the original systems of the organism from whom they were harvested) does not mean the human beings who received those cells ARE her. Just as just because mothers have cells of their offspring inside of them and vice-versa does not mean they are their offspring or vice-versa. Cells =/= organism.
“That her body/uterus is not a gas chamber, electric chair, or hospital room to dispense lethal injections!!”
It’s whatever we want it to be. “Not the church, not the state, only I decide my fate.”
BTW, do you gals say a prayer over your menstrual contents in case there’s a “baby” involved. You know, the baby that didn’t implant. Menstruation must be so sad for you ladies who just live for your next pregnancy.
CC, as someone struggling to conceive, yes, it is sad, and you better believe I cry.
Thank you so much for your heartless cruelty, though.
So what are the necessary conditions for a body/soul to stay together?
So what are the necessary conditions for a body/soul to
stay together?
Eyes.
Michael vs. xalisae. Game over.
“Not the church, not the state, only I murder after I mate!”
There, fixed that for ya.
It’s never to late to embrace life!
*takes a bow* Thank you, Hans. ;)
Apparently CC needs to read xalisae’s posts, too, since she’s already covered the whole bit where an ova flushed out during menstruation is not remotely similar to the death of a miscarried/aborted* child.
* I can’t believe the pro-aborts actually muddle these two, but since they do, this disclaimer is actually necessary. The two situations are only similar in that they are both deaths. There is no parallel two be drawn between them any more than between someone who died of cancer and someone who was shot to death.
Excellent posts xalisae
“Not the church, not the state, only I murder after I mate!”
ninek 1, CC 0