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Scientific and Religious Controversies on Beginning of Human Life

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Hot Topics in Human Reproduction

Part of the book series: Reproductive Medicine for Clinicians ((REMECL,volume 3))

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obstetrics and Gynecology at Medical School Universities of Zagreb and Sarajevo, Zagreb, Croatia

    Asim Kurjak

  2. Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Asim Kurjak

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  1. Asim Kurjak
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph G. Schenker

  2. Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproduction, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Martin H. Birkhaeuser

  3. Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Andrea R. Genazzani

  4. Campus Kiel, University Clinics of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany

    Liselotte Mettler

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA

    John J. Sciarra

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Kurjak, A. (2023). Scientific and Religious Controversies on Beginning of Human Life. In: Schenker, J.G., Birkhaeuser, M.H., Genazzani, A.R., Mettler, L., Sciarra, J.J. (eds) Hot Topics in Human Reproduction. Reproductive Medicine for Clinicians, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24903-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24903-7_4

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