Wading into debate

During my senior years of existence and especially the last 45, I’ve watched with curiosity the heated debate over abortion rights between family members, friends, clergymen, and those who help to make and pass our laws in the government.

Here we are again debating the Roe v. Wade issue and asking for our senators to change our laws once more when in fact they too may not be asking the right question to get to the right answer.

There are those who believe life begins at conception and will argue that the fetus is instantly a human being, while others associate the beginning of life with the beginning of a heartbeat.

Getting closer to our question, I’m reminded of the many reports I’ve read about individuals who have been hospitalized either for accidents or old-age-related problems and having the doctor explain to the family their loved one has entered into a deep coma-like state and shows no signs of any brain activity. However, with our machines we can keep the body functioning with an active heartbeat and feed them food through their veins to sustain them indefinitely. Then the family is told their loved one is no more than a vegetable, brain-dead and no longer has a human existence. Then the decision to pull the life-support system comes into play by the family.

Now that they have established a missing brain wave could mean that you are not human brings me to my question: When does the fetus become “brain-live”? Just curious.

SKIP SPENCE North Little Rock