Gingrich: Life Doesn't Begin at Conception Because That Would 'Open Up ... Very Difficult Questions'

CNS News ^ | 12/4/11 | By Terence P. Jeffrey

[EternalVigilance]

Newt’s view also leaves the door conveniently open for the use of embryonic stem cells.

And abortifacients being peddled as "contraception."

[EternalVigilance]

If the equal protection of the God-given, unalienable right to life is negotiable, anything is negotiable. Anything at all.

And if there was ever a politician that proves it, it’s Gingrich.

[Wonder Warthog]

Methinks that Gingrich needs to go back and talk to his Roman Catholic catechist group. Either he didn’t listen when he was going through RCIA, or they didn’t do a very good job.

[sharkhawk]

If life did not already exist within a frozen human, why would a doctor “implant” it?

Devils advocate questions.
So what happens to all those unused embryos? Is it murder when someone doesn't use them. Is it OK to leave a life frozen for months or years?
If life begins at conception than IVF is evil and probably results in almost as many murders as abortion. I'm not sure on the the issue but that is the only consistent stance.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Think ectopic pregnancy much?"

And this has exactly what to do with life beginning at conception?? An ectopic pregnancy is one of the very few circumstances in which abortion is legitimately allowed (i.e. to save the mother's life).

[Carolyn826]

I’d rather focus on retaking the Senate and keeping the House, than vote for a leader who will further disparage the GOP. Besides the Ron Paul support is very vocal and large. If they decide to do a write-in vote, no GOP candidate is going to win.

[Repeal The 17th]

We live in a republic.
We do not have a king.
Our president does not have the power or authority to determine this.

[Manic_Episode]

Intellectual my a$$.

[eclecticEel]

No doubt he’s looking to the recent referendum in Mississippi. Heck, there’s plenty of freepers who are unwilling to admit to the scientifically unassailable statement that life begins at conception - as it would cause “problems”.

[eclecticEel]

No doubt he’s looking to the recent referendum in Mississippi. Heck, there’s plenty of freepers who are unwilling to admit to the scientifically unassailable statement that life begins at conception - as it would cause “problems”.

[Gene Eric]

>> Gingrich said he believes that human life does not begin at conception but at “implantation and successful implantation” because if you say life begins at conception “you’re going to open up an extraordinary range of very difficult questions.”

Is that what he “believes”? I doubt it. One is not conceived then later gifted with life.

Newt, if you’re ill-equipped to handle the extraordinary range of very difficult questions, then get out of the damn race.

[jonrick46]

The process of implanatation of the fertalized human embryo (the zygote) does not occur when the woman is taking birth control pills or when there is an IUD present in the uterus. Both change the lining of the uterus so it is inreceptive to the attachment of the zygote. This is why Roman Catholics, who believe life begins at inception, have not been receptive to birth control techniques.

The question about implantation makes me wonder if people paid attention to what was being taught in their sex education classes.

[jonrick46]

both computer and operator error: inception = conception.

[Mountain Bike Vomit Carnage]

Didn’t become a catholic to make his mistresses, I mean wife’s, family happy?

[Southnsoul]

And the Newtbots accuse Cain of being vague on the pro-life issue... I bet Gingrich never gave $1 million of his own money to encourage women to not have abortions, like Cain did.

[X-spurt]

Isn’t this just more hair-splitting by Bachmann mistakenly thinking its gonna boost her into the instant lead?

Most voters won’t have a clue on the difference between what some deliniate as “conception” and “implantation”. In my non-OB/GYN mind, I’ll be damned if I know any difference.

Just to point out the absurdity..... one could say “conception” occurs when the “CONCEPT of gettin it on” occurs.

[alicewonders]

Methinks that Gingrich needs to go back and talk to his Roman Catholic catechist group. Either he didn’t listen when he was going through RCIA, or they didn’t do a very good job.

OR - he's a big fat phony! Typical Newt - he cannot be relied on to take the conservative position. How anyone can even contemplate supporting him as our nominee is beyond me.

Oh, but he's a great debater. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[bgill]

you're going to open up an extraordinary range of very difficult questions

Why? Seems it would eliminate a lot of very difficult questions if people would admit life began at conception. When does he think life begins? The second Tuesday at 3:38 AM in the third month if the month has an R in it and only then if it falls after a full moon on the 12th of the previous month?

[Poison Pill]

Looks like I’ll be sitting out this years’s Presidental race again.

Bye bye then...

[aruanan]

In an interview with ABC News on Friday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he believes that human life does not begin at conception but at "implantation and successful implantation" because if you say life begins at conception "you're going to open up an extraordinary range of very difficult questions."

Intellectual coward.

Give it a rest - unless you are prepared to award FReepers a medical degree in medicine with Board Certification in ObGyn.

Think ectopic pregnancy much?

How about just thinking rationally? The fact that there are ectopic pregnancies has nothing to do with whether human life begins at conception versus implantation. You may as well say, as many do, that if a life begun at either point gets into "difficulty" somewhere along the line that prevents it from undergoing a successful, non-damaged development and birth then it probably shouldn't be considered a human life and can be nipped in the bud anywhere along the way, even post-birth.

The earliest stage at which a developing embryo is a genetically distinct and fully human creature is fertilization and becoming a diploid being. Although it's pretty humble at a 1-celled stage, it is, nevertheless, a fully human, individual life. It isn't a dog. It isn't a fish. And, if not interfered with or subjected to a developmental abnormality that dooms its development, it will continue developing until it triggers its own birth. Those who claim that it's not human prior to implantation because not all fertilized eggs implant successfully are doing so simply to claim that preventing its implantation is, therefore, not taking a human life because "it only becomes human" upon implantation and we got in under the wire, whew, lucky us, huh? There are babies that die in utero at any point along the way toward birth; however, these spontaneous abortions do not provide any justification or absolution for an intentional abortion any more than the fact that someone can accidentally slip on a banana peel and break his neck justifies someone trying to knock off another person by setting up the equivalent of a fatal encounter with a banana peel.

The difference between accident and murder is intent.

In the case of the ectopic pregnancy, the abortion to prevent this from killing the mother is indeed taking the life of her unborn developing human child, but that's a matter of self-defense, not murder. Though I do know someone who was pregnant with her first (and only) child who was told there was no way she could possibly survive the pregnancy and should abort the baby. She told the doctor that she and the baby would then both go down together because after praying so long and trying so hard for a child there was no way she was going to kill it just to save her own skin. The pregnancy was successful and she had a healthy daughter who grew to adulthood.