Only when I'm in a bad mood do I start this kind of trouble

Submitted by Prometheus 6 on June 17, 2005 - 5:39pm.
on Culture wars

Do you know how they freeze embryos?

They replace enough of the water in the cell with a cryoprotectant...like anti-freeze...to keep it from rupturing. I assume they replace the cryoprotectant with water after they thaw one out.

Now, the question must be asked...after having a significant fraction of the water it contains replaced with ethylene glycol or glycerol and being frozen, after having their fundamental physical nature altered, are they alive? Are they cells?

Now, thaw and implant one of those embryos. Bring it to term.

Is the offspring alive?

Two questions with yes/no answers. Let's build a little truth table to see what the repercussions of all possible answers to these questions might be.

Are the frozen cells alive?
YesNo
Is the child alive?YesLiving souls are trapped in frozen corpses, then killed without ever having had a chance for lifeThe life began at some time after the embryo was thawed and embedded, i.e., after conception.
(don't be an ass)

 

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Submitted by DarkStar on June 18, 2005 - 1:13pm.

OK, now this has totally messed my mind up thank you very much.

Submitted by Prometheus 6 on June 18, 2005 - 1:37pm.

I said I was in a bad mood...

But it's a reality that's outthere whether I write it or not.