Who says embryos are not human? Just consult your local embryology textbook

 To follow up on Blaise’s post on Dr. Gerard Nadal, I bring you quotes from regular embryology textbooks that students can purchase at their local university bookstore.  It always seems like people don’t want to say when human life begins.  The funny thing is that the actual experts in embryology have no problem saying when life begins.  But what do they know really?  It’s not like embryologists are interested in science or anything.

Part I:

Zygote. This cell, formed by the union of an ovum and a sperm (Gr. zyg tos, yoked together), represents the beginning of a human being. The common expression ‘fertilized ovum’ refers to the zygote.

Although life is a continuous process, fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed

This highly specialized, totipotent cell marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.

Read the rest here:

http://gerardnadal.com/2010/01/05/the-identity-and-status-of-the-human-embryo/

 Part II:

The time of fertilization represents the starting point in the life history, or ontogeny, of the individual.

The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote.

Human development begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cells during a process known as fertilization (conception).

Read the rest here:

http://gerardnadal.com/2010/01/07/more-from-the-scientific-community-on-the-identity-and-status-of-the-human-embryo/