I refuse to argue about abortion, but I do believe that if one wasn't born with the equipment to carry a fetus, one has little say in what those of us who DO have that equipment get to do with it.
Medically speaking "Pregnancy" doesn't occur until implantation. So, medically "conception" (the meeting and joining of sperm and egg) is simply NOT a "pregnancy." You are not "pregnant" until the fertilized egg is implanted into the uterine wall. That usually takes between 6 to 14 days after the infusion of semen into the uterus. So, there is a time where there is a fertilized egg, but it isn't implanted. So, no pregnancy. In fact, many times eggs will be fertilized and simply not implant. THAT isn't called a miscarriage (miscarriage only occurs if a PREGNANCY occurs, which requires implantation.)
Also, Fertility Clinics have THOUSANDS of fertilized eggs, sitting in Freezer tanks. Are those tanks "pregnant?" (Why not? "Conception" has taken place. Something must be "pregnant?" shouldn't it be?
Are you aware that a good 80% of those fertilized eggs (conceptions) will NOT become a fetus and will be "wasted" usually intentionally? Most will either be injected into a uterus and NOT become implanted, or be allowed to defrost, if the donors of the egg and sperm decide not to use them or are done having children. Is defrosting these eggs, which is done EVERY DAY an "abortion?" Not medically speaking, it isn't.
Also, I hope that most who call themselves "Pro-Life" know that virtually all hospitals, even "Christian" hospitals, CANNOT attempt to save a fetus born before viability. That is usually any fetus less than 23 weeks of gestation, OR older, if unhealthy. This is done every day in hospitals. Yes, we've all heard of those babies who were 21 weeks of gestation and "saved" (usually at a Catholic hospital, most of which are trying to push the age of viability further and further back.)
I was witness to the arrival and subsequent survival of one such "21 week fetus". He lived... he also racked up over 2 million dollars in NICU bills (this was when insurance agencies were allowed to put "Caps" on policies, and he "Maxed out" his insurance before he hit his due date.) As he was born breathing and fighting, an exception as made and he was brought to the NICU, most others born at 21 weeks are kept comfortable and usually expire in a few hours, if they are not born already dead. He also has myriad intellectual and physical issues.... and it's been discovered that he was most likely more like 24 weeks of gestation, not 21, as the hospital (which I worked for at the time) reported at the time of his birth.
The crux of this is that he WASN'T a 21 week fetus (I learned this recently from a physician friend of mine, who, along with others who work for this hospital, did some research into the case) but the hospital is still claiming they "saved" a 21 week baby, when the truth is most likely that the mother didn't know when she became pregnant and he was MUCH older and already past the date of viability.
Just saying. From what I've seen and learned (and I've worked in Maternal Infant care for many years) is that 22 or 23 weeks is about the dividing line between "viable" and not viable.... and that isn't about to change any time soon. The last significant effort in micro preterm birth strategy was the advent of artificial lung surfactant, which has improved micro preterm babies survival rate greatly. But, surfactant has been around for about 20 years, and we haven't had many advanced of note since then.
There is NO "artificial womb" nor is one in research or production. Just a plain old Isolette, used for the past 60 years or so. Yes, it's been improved, but there's nothing to say that any fetus born before 23 weeks has any chance of survival (and that's pushing it, as even here the survival rate is less than 40% and the permanent damage to the infant rate is nearly 100%)
So NO "artificial wombs" on the horizon, and the date of viability is NOT going to change, most likely in our lifetime, if ever.
