Where does one start the argument? There are people - and churches - who teach that contraception itself is wrong, that all eggs/sperm must be given the opportunity for impregnation. Does that subject have to be addressed and resolved before a discussion about fertilized eggs is valid?

I believe in 'soul', in 'spirit', and I too have believed for a long time that the issue must lie in the determination or at least a consensus as to when a fetus acquires a soul.

I would prefer to think that a soul is acquired with the first breath, i.e., in the creation story when the Creator blew breath into Adam's lungs. But that presupposes an acceptance of a literal event, whereas the storys may be allegorical in nature.

There are accounts -whether credible or not, I don't know - by people who say they remember their birth, and much anecdotal evidence of people remembering events that went on around them while they were still in womb.

So I dunno.

For the record, I see no conflict in using the first clump of cells for humane purposes. As far as soul is concerned, there are so many spontaneous abortions and so many pregnancies begun that are not sustainable that, if one believes that that is already human life, there must be myriads of 'souls' that have basically had to say 'Oops' and return to their origins in preparation for another call.