When Does Life Begin?
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby does not dispute the plaintiffs’ belief that the four contraceptive methods at issue induce abortions.
But among physicians, legal experts and ethicists the question of when conception occurs is not always straightforward. The United Methodist Church itself has no set definition of when life begins.
Emergency contraception, also called “morning after” pills, prevent pregnancy primarily by delaying ovulation. According to Princeton University, there is “no evidence to suggest that either the FDA-approved emergency contraceptive options…work after an egg is fertilized.” Other sources suggest the pill can in some cases prevent implantation.
In contrast, an intrauterine device (IUD) works by preventing sperm from fertilizing an egg. It also may prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.
For the Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, a United Methodist pastor, preventing implantation is tantamount to ending life. He says he believes “a new human being begins when egg meets sperm and there is union.”
“Do a lot of such zygotes perish naturally? Of course, that happens for whatever reason,” Stallsworth said. “But I think it’s a biological fact of life that life begins at conception.”
Still, not everyone agrees that conception starts with fertilization. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as well as federal regulations define conception as the moment when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus.
To Dr. Barbara Lukert, a retired endocrinologist and United Methodist in Kansas City, Kan., even that definition does not necessarily answer the more general question of when life begins.
“Those who believe that life begins with the first breath can defend that position as well as those who believe life begins at conception,” she said. “We don’t know when life begins and may never have an objective definition. Therefore, why should any group or individual be allowed to impose their beliefs about this issue on others? It’s a matter of opinion, not fact.”