When Does Life Begin

Some say “Life Begins” when your children move out and are on their own.

Although that may be true; the question of when life begins is not a new topic. There is an online article that summarizes nicely the historical perspective on When Does Life Begin. I highly recommend the article.

http://8e.devbio.com/article.php?id=162

The answer to the question has been fluid over time and will probably continue to be. I was surprised that even the Catholic Church has had a number of definitions over time, which illustrates that depending on the available scientific information, current social-political state and latest theological interpretations the definition of life will change.

For myself I believe that the definition of life needs to be the same for when life begins and when life ends. For me this is tied to brain activity. So currently, for me life begins in a fetus at ~24 weeks and ends when brain waves cease.