I was near an abortion clinic with my “I regret lost fatherhood” sign.  A young guy shuffled by me in a jean jacket and chains.  He looked at my sign and eloquently said:

“Do you regret lost fatherhood every time you jerk off?”

The first thing that occurred to me is that he’s not familiar with the church teaching on masturbation, but I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.  His comment actually displays an ignorance much deeper than that.  It is an ignorance I’ve seen in teens, adults, Obama, and even well educated people in the “mushy middle” who have good intentions. It is remarkable that in 2009, after the Genome project, the public still does not know when life begins.

I have come to believe that teaching society this simple scientific fact is our responsibility.  The government and schools won’t do it. We have to create an environment where everybody knows when life begins, where people who don’t know this simple scientific fact, will be looked at like those who say the world is flat. We have to create a simple slogan, a phrase or concept that makes this clear.  So let me try it, perhaps someone can shorten it or improve it:

Men and women have 46 chromosomes in every cell of their bodies. When the sperm and the egg cells split off, they have 23 chromosomes in each cell. The sperm and egg meet to make a new human being with 46 chromosomes in each cell.

23 + 23 = 46 Chromosomes = New  Human Being

Therefore, life begins at fertilization

What about down syndrome? Then there is one more chromosome in each cell, she’s still human.

What about twins? Then there are two humans.  Which means it’s even more of a crime to kill.  They just haven’t differentiated or separated yet, and of course the cells know exactly what they will do, even though our limited technology doesn’t. You wouldn’t kill siamese twins, especially when you know that they will separate naturally.

Doesn’t it take a few minutes to an hour to get all the Chromosomes together?  The biggest computer in the world could not follow the first few minutes after fertilization. Fertilization is the miracle moment, and all 46 chromosomes are coming together. It’s when life begins.

What about stem cell research which destroys zygote at 5 days old?  It is murder of the most innocent human beings on the planet. Period!

And to my friend who said sperm is just as human as an embryo… no, it only has 23 chromosomes. It needs 46 to be uniquely human.