By then defining all living things as legal persons, the Congress could hopefully provide the basis by which states could protect unborn human lives if they wish to. In the first two days of hearings, seven of the first eight inter-national medical authorities agreed that human life began at conception which they defined as the same as fertilization.
Professor Rosenberg, from Yale, did not agree. He stated that “human life,” as he saw it, did not exist until viability. This has been reported as a disagreement. In fact, it was not. The first seven authorities defined human life using a yardstick of measurement that primarily judged by scientific, biologic facts.
Dr. Rosenberg and some other scientists who testified later, while not denying the accuracy of the biologic facts presented, used a different primary yardstick to make their judgment. Rosenberg’s judgment came from his own personal philosophic belief which was that “human life” began at viability. In order for anyone to see this clear cut difference, the following must be understood.