It seems that sometimes, when it serves the story, the fact that life begins at conception is perfectly clear to both scientists and the media. Sarah Knapton, Science Editor at the UK Telegraph, writes in an article titled “Bright Flash of Light Marks Incredible Moment Life Begins When Sperm Meets Egg”:
Human life begins in bright flash of light as a sperm meets an egg, scientists have shown for the first time, after capturing the astonishing ‘fireworks’ on film.
An explosion of tiny sparks erupts from the egg at the exact moment of conception.
Scientists had seen the phenomenon occur in other animals but it is the first time is has been also shown to happen in humans.
As I’ve explained before, as much as people say they deny the fact that life begins at conception, there really is no scientific controversy over when human life begins; the controversy is over when human life is valuable. Unfortunately, when people use the word “life” in this context to mean only what they consider to be valuable human life, they quietly smuggle this crucial distinction out of their claim via the misuse of language, thereby covering up the claim they’re really making—that is, the claim that some human life isn’t valuable.
I’m convinced there are many people who don’t realize they’re doing this—better to convince yourself there really is no human life at conception than to recognize it and then have to justify killing that human life. I don’t think people want to admit the distasteful truth to themselves that they’re dividing human beings into two groups: those whose lives we respect and those we don’t (a move that has never ended well for human rights—see here, here, and here for more on this). This article at least blows the smoke away from the issue.
In truth, though, the article is bad news. Listen to how they intend to use this information:
Researchers from Northwestern University, in Chicago, noticed that some of the eggs burn brighter than others, showing that they are more likely to produce a healthy baby.
The discovery could help fertility doctors pick the best fertilised eggs to transfer during in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
In other words, they’re planning to use this knowledge to aid in their eugenics (see here and here for more on the eugenics of our day)—creating many new human lives (as the science editor above affirms) and then implanting those that display the brightest light while disposing of the rest.