Questions from Students Part 2
: Human Development, Tubal Ectopic Pregnancy, and tabling on campus.
In preparation for an event with Students for Life of America, they compiled a list of questions from their campus groups and sent them to me. They wanted me prepared to offer a brief response to help the student leaders process these challenges. We made a few short videos and will finish the video series in the coming weeks, but it seemed appropriate to share the responses in a written form as well. This is the second installment of however many installments are necessary to respond to every question submitted.
Question 4 - How does a baby develop in the womb?
The best answer I can offer to this is quickly. In fact, the development pace is remarkable. The child starts as a single celled zygote inside a hardened glycoprotein shell called the zona pellucida. The early cell divisions don’t grow the size of the embryo because of that shell. In the first week the number of cells progresses from one to over 200 as implantation in uterus begins. An inner cell mass of embryonic stem cells will develop into the body of the child while the thin outer wall will become the placenta. Once the primitive streak begins to form at about 15 days, the cell mass begins to differentiate into actual parts. Mass now forms a distinct axis, and twinning is no longer possible. From here on out, organ, skin, hair, fingers, toes, brain activity, it is all forming rapidly. At eight weeks from conception (or 10 weeks LMP), all the organ systems are present and developing.
Let’s clarify a point, though. Nascent human life progresses through developmental milestones quickly, but it is always a human life throughout this process. Neither Zygotes, embryos, nor fetuses are substantial things which exist as independent entities. Human beings exist and progress through the developmental stages of being human zygotes, human embryos, and human fetuses. The claim abortion is justified because it is only an embryo or fetus being destroyed is quite frankly ignorant. It is also the height of silliness to defend destroying a life because it has yet to reach a developmental milestone it will only fail to meet because you destroy it before it can. The human fetus destroyed in the act of abortion was only going to be in the fetal stage for a very short time in a relatively long-life span. This will be one of the briefest developmental stages in the course of a normal human life. Leave the immature human being alone and let it grow rather than dismiss its dignity for the crime of not being able to come into existence fully formed with the capacity to articulate a sophisticated philosophical defense for its life. What a monstrosity that would be if it were the first stage of human development! The fact that we all start small and undifferentiated and quickly grow in size and organizational complexity does not give anyone the right to kill us in our early stages.
Question 5 - How does an ectopic removal work and how is that not an abortion if the egg has been fertilized?
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the embryonic human implants anywhere outside of the safety of the uterine wall. The most common form is a tubal ectopic pregnancy where the embryonic human implants in the wall of the fallopian tube. Unlike the uterus, the fallopian tube is not capable of expanding to accommodate the growth of the nascent human life. If the child grows in the fallopian tube, the danger is the tube will burst causing massive internal hemorrhaging. This will kill both the woman and her child.
There are three procedures done to treat a mother with a tubal ectopic pregnancy. Salpingectomy is the removal of a fallopian tube including the human embryo. Salpingostomy involves creating a small opening in the fallopian tube to remove the human embryo. The medical protocol of mifepristone and misoprostol are used as well. Mifepristone is a progesterone inhibitor, creating a hostile environment for life. Misoprostol causes contraction to empty the uterus.
How is this NOT categorized as an abortion? There is a philosophical principle known as Double Effect reasoning. This comes into play in medical emergencies like a tubal ectopic pregnancy as well as self-defense and Just War Theory. Briefly, it states in order to combat certain evils, whether a natural evil like illness or a moral evil like a violent aggressor, we may be forced to act in such a manner where the destruction of innocent life is foreseeable but not intended. We don’t want people to die, but if we don’t act the impact of evil is magnified. In tubal ectopic pregnancy, if we do nothing, we lose two lives. We must preserve what life can be preserved.
Some philosophers argue the moral and ethical merits of certain aspects of these procedures, but what is rarely argued is the necessity to do something. All easy options were taken due to the natural evil of this pathological condition. We must do the best thing we can do with the bad situation we face.
Question 6 - When tabling, how do we effectively engage with people who don't want to talk with us?
This is a tough question, and exactly why some groups use abortion victim images to get people motivated to engage. Confronting people with the visual brutality of abortion changes the dynamic of the conversation and can encourage dialogue in people not normally inclined to engage. Others find posting a single thought-provoking question to draw passersby in, like “What is the unborn?” Some groups provide a free-speech board or polling opportunity to encourage conversations.
The most critical thing to communicate is that we want to hear what those with whom we are dialoguing think. Give them freedom to talk, to say things you hate, and fully express their ideas without interruption. Be slow to share your ideas and resistant to showing emotion. My experience is people love to talk about what they believe. They just don’t always want to argue. I encourage people to talk and ask a lot of clarifying questions to lead the discussion. Gregory Koukl’s book Tactics is the best book at detailing how to strategically approach conversations. Scott Klusendorf’s The Case for Life is also a fantastic resource to prepare for discussions about abortion in a public setting. It is vital we take the opportunity seriously enough to adequately prepare ourselves.
But if someone just DOESN’T WANT TO TALK, then let them go. Don’t feel stressed about it or feel like you missed some trick you could have used to make them stay. As one young woman handing out pro-life flyers told a fellow student who looked intensely angry at her said, “You can just say no. You can just walk away. You don’t have to engage or talk to me. You certainly don’t have to be angry at me for wanting to talk about something you don’t want to discuss. Just say no.”