Letter: Unborn babies are unique, individual human lives

I’m pro-life, but my position on this matter has nothing to do with religion.

A common argument is that the baby is part of the mother, and therefore she has a right to do with it whatever she wants. If the baby is part of the mother, then how can it have a different blood type? How can it be a male? Why is it that 78 percent of the time the baby would not be a suitable organ donor for the mother? The answer is that 50 percent of its genetic makeup comes from the father. That tells me that the baby is just as much part of his/her father as the mother.

The genetic identity of each of us was established when the egg was fertilized. Development cannot begin until this happens. When conception occurs, then the various stages of development move forward, and that is just what they are, stages of development of a unique, individual human life.

I agree that a woman has a right to do to her body anything she wants, but does she have the right to do whatever she wants with someone else’s body?

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 4:02 AM with the headline "Letter: Unborn babies are unique, individual human lives."