Can anyone tell me where the notion that life begins at conception actually came from? Apparently not from the bible. This was an interesting read to say the least...
[thechristianleftblog.org]
In Biblical times, women who wanted to end a pregnancy were allowed to take abortifacients, which were herbs or other plants that would induce an abortion. There is nothing in the Bible that says life begins at conception. Because of the high infant mortality rate then, babies were often not even named at birth, but given time to see if they survived.
According to Wikipedia: The view that life begins at fertilization reached acceptance from mainstream sources at one point. In 1967, New York City school officials launched a large sex education program. The fifth grade textbook stated "Human life begins when the sperm cells of the father and the egg cells of the mother unite. This union is referred to as fertilization. For fertilization to take place and a baby to begin growing, the sperm cell must come in direct contact with the egg cell." Similarly, a textbook used in Evanston, Illinois stated: "Life begins when a sperm cell and an ovum (egg cell) unite.
Actually I did find the article you cite very interesting. I spent 40 years learning the Bible and still remember a lot and hate that knowledge to go to waste so I use it in debating with certain Christians. The article was a good list of sources to use in that eventuality.