Exact date of conception is usually difficult if not impossible to know, whereas date of birth is a visible, easily identifiable date and time. The issue falls to pragmatism, not to whether a person prior to birth or at conception should be considered the same as a newborn or child.
Unless you’re having sex constantly, it’s not hard to pin down the day of conception. At least for most people. And in some cultures, no one really knows what day they were born because it’s not seen as a significant event. So there’s no reason not to celebrate “conception day.”
As far as personhood arguments go, a toenail clipping or even most living human cells don’t have the capacity to form a baby and his/her placenta in the womb.
Oooo…sciency stuff. Actually, you can pretty much take any cell (they all contain the same DNA!) and clone a human being. So sure, a toenail clipping will do just fine. And if you reply that it hasn’t been done, that’s irrelevant–it COULD be done, if not now, in the future.
And the blastocyst that fails to implant is essentially a person that died before having the chance the grow, the same as a miscarriage.
I’m going to go back to this point, because it shows the inconsistency of the pro-life position. It’s estimated that 50-80% of fertilized cells fail to implant themselves on the wall of the womb. They are flushed out. “miscarriage” if you like. But the pro-life position is that these cells are “human beings” complete with rights (although I’m at a loss to find any) and a soul. And yet where are the funeral Masses, the burials, etc.? I’ve made this point multiple times before, and some of my good buddies here have just dismissed it with a wave of the hand…impractical, etc.
But, not matter what you say about him, our beloved VP Pence is consistent (which is why he is so dangerous!). As governor of Indiana, he signed HEA 1337 on 24 March 2016. This new law provided that:
"
A health care facility having possession of a miscarried fetus shall provide for the final disposition of the miscarried fetus.
The burial transit permit requirements under IC 16-37-3 apply to the final disposition of the miscarried fetus, which must be cremated or interred. However:
(1) a person is not required to designate a name for the miscarried fetus on the burial transit permit and the space for a name may remain blank; and
(2) any information submitted under this section that may be used to identify the parent or parents is confidential and must be redacted from any public records maintained under IC 16-37-3."
In other words, the remains are not just treated as medical waste. This law is admirable in the sense that it is consistent with what the pro-life supporters SAY they believe. I’m not saying it makes practical sense, I’m simply saying it’s consistent with their beliefs.
