The question “when does human life begins?” is as relevant as ever in our time wherein the impending debate on the morality of Pro-abortion policies and human stem cell research is at hand. Just last Wednesday, the united front of Bishops of the United States released a statement on abortion and politics, warning politicians not to misinterpret the election results as ?a referendum on abortion,? and that ?aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans.? Meanwhile in a very timely manner, scientist Maureen Condic published her study in a white paper titled “When Does Human Life Begin?” stating that human life begins at a defined moment of conception isn’t an opinion based on a belief, but rather a “reflection of the way the world is.” Her conclusion stemmed from the current scientific data in human embryology at Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person. But do we have to be a Priest, Bishop or a scientist to know when Human life really begins? When does human life really begins? Using a simple analogy of the match and the socket let me briefly teach you when human life is really created

In order to produce fire, a match is needed to be rubbed against a surface to create friction. Once friction is created, heat is generated and then it ignites into a fire. A male socket on the other hand is connected to the female socket in order to conduct electricity for us to turn on our different appliances. In the case of human life, the male sperm needs to penetrate the interior of the female ova in order to begin the process of creating another human being. This has been discussed a million times by our science teachers since our primary schooling.

Now the questions are, will a match ignite if it is only touching a surface? Will a male socket conduct electricity to the appliance when it touches the female socket? Will life be procreated if a a male sperm is touching the female ova? the answer is NO!

Much as the male socket needs to be inserted in the female socket to conduct electricity to the appliance, and the match needs to be rubbed on a surface in order to ignite fire, so as the male sperm needs to enter the female egg cell in order to produce life.

In order to terminate a fire on the match we either blow it, or soak it on water. While in order to cut the electricity flowing on the appliance we either unplug it or turn off the main generator. Yet in order to terminate life, the embryo (when the sperm enters the egg cell) must be subjected to force and pressure that would eventually kill it.

We do not terminate a fire when there is no ignition. We do not cut the electricity if there is no conduction. Thus we do not terminate life if there is no fertilization or union of the sperm and the egg cell.

So Just as fire is created from the rubbing of the match to a surface, and electricity is generated from the insertion of the male socket into the female socket, so as life begins (conception to be exact), instantaneously when the male sperm enters the female egg cell. This is where life begins. Not on the first month, on the second month or the months of the embryo’s development, but on the very instant that the male sperm penetrates the egg cell, human life is created.

And when there is human life, there is already a soul. Terminating an embryo for abortion or for stem cell research is much as the same way as killing people, the only difference is, the embryo cannot speak, protect or defend itself. This is why abortion and stem cell research is intrinsically evil and immoral because it kills a defenseless and vulnerable human life.

The Catholic Church teaches that in the instant when conception begins (the union of the sperm and the egg), the human soul is infused and is already present in the embryo inside the womb, just like fire and electricity is already present in the process of generating energy, subjected by nature and deemed as it is since time immemorial.

So if you are having a hard time in answering “when does human life really begins”, think of the match and the socket, and you’ll definitely understand why human life is essential, more than the fire and electricity combined.