Scientific and Religious Controversies on Beginning of Human Life

Abstract

The question when a human life begins is not one question, but three. The first question, “When does human biological life begin?,” is a scientific question. The second question, “When do obligations to protect human life begin?,” is a question of general theological and philosophical ethics. The third question, “How should physicians respond to disagreement about when obligations to protect human life begin?,” is a question for professional medical ethics. The first question has two answers, not one. Distinct human life begins when there is a distinct entity, the preembryo. Individual human life begins later, with the emergence of the embryo. The second question has no authoritative answer, because of irresolvable controversy in world religions and in the global history of philosophical ethics about acceptable methodology and conclusions. Expecting a definitive answer to the second question is an exercise in futility for physicians and professional medical ethics. The answer to the third question, we argue, is that physicians should manage the controversy surrounding the second question by appealing to the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient. It is philosophically sound, respectful of all religious traditions and the person convictions of patients and physicians alike, and clinically applicable.