[spoiler]This is a work in progress I've been writing while on medical leave for abdominal surgery. I figured it would make for a decent discussion thread.[/spoiler] Abortion is homicide. Below is why I make the claim. Feel free to address and refute any misconceptions I may have made. [b][u]Defining Homicide:[/u][/b] Homicide is the killing of a human being by another human being (1,2,3). There are three primary kinds of homicide: justifiable, excusable, and felonious (1). Justifiable homicide is the necessary or authorised killing of an individual. This includes the killing of enemy combatants during military conflict, killing in self-defense and in the defense of others, and capital punishment (4). Excusable homicide is the killing of an individual without lethal intent and without committing an illegal act (5). These are also referred to as accidental killings. Felonious, or criminal, homicide is an intentional killing or an unintentional killing while committing an illegal act (6). [b][u]Defining Human Being:[/u][/b] A human being is an organism that is a member of the species Homo sapiens (7,8). Humans are genetically distinct from other species. As with all other organisms, humans go through different stages of development. The main stages of human development include prenatal development, prepubescence, adolescence, and adulthood. Humans reproduce sexually. This means two parents contributes half of the full set of chromosomes via gametes which are haploid cells. These haploid cells are not human individuals because they only possess a single set of chromosomes. Upon fertilisation, the chromosomal sets of the two gametes are united to form a complete chromosomal pair. That is unique to both parents. [b][u]Defining Organism:[/u][/b] An organism is an entity exhibiting the seven classical characteristic of life as defined by empiricism: homeostasis, organisation, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. Homeostasis is the regulation of the system within the organism, such as temperature. Organisation refers to an organism being composed of one or more cells. In a multicellular organism such as a human being, cells compose tissues, tissues compose organs, organs compose organ systems, and organ systems compose organisms. Metabolism refers to the biochemical process of breaking and forming chemical bonds to net energy for the breaking and forming of other chemical bonds allowing essential biological functions to occur. Growth refers to the increase in size of multicelluar organisms while it also refers to the increase in volume of cytoplasm, organelles, and genetic material, or DNA and RNA. Adaptation refers to the promotion of advantageous phenotypes in a population due to selective pressures within the environment, otherwise known as natural selection. Response to stimuli refers to the methods an organism will interact with its environment. For example, some antibiotic resistant bacteria will produce enzymes binding to and modifying the antibiotic molecule rendering it harmless to the bacterial cell. Reproduction refers to both sexual and asexual procreation. [b][u]Defining The Human Individual:[/u][/b] A human individual is a human organism that is distinct from another human organism. The individual possesses their own body, their own organ systems, their own organs, their own tissues, and their own cells. They are genetically distinguishable from other human organisms, meaning their genetic sequence is unique to them. [b][u]Tying It Together:[/u][/b] The question regarding the morality of abortion is a very controversial topic. I hope that by explicitly defining the above terms and concepts, a much more civil discussion can occur and participants both for abortion and against abortion can better understand where and why they disagree. Now I do recognise that the majority of the concepts defined above pertain to the empirical arguments. My reason for doing this is because many people place a lot of weight on scientific substantiation of their arguments. I’ve observed a lot of false claims contradicting what is considered to be biological fact and I’ve also observed a lot of claims barely touching on such fundamental biological concepts. If it is necessary, I’m sure it will be, I will address the rational arguments. At what point is a human considered to be human? According to the empirical definitions above, a human is considered to be human at conception, or fertilization. The resulting zygote is an individual possessing a distinct genetic sequence from both parents that is consistent with that of a human sequence. Is this human zygote a living organism? Yes, it is. The zygote exhibits all seven of the classical characteristics of life. It is the earliest stage of development of the human species. There are some claims that the zygote is not living because it cannot sexually reproduce as an adult human can. To make this claim, a person would then be required to deny life status from those who are not sexually mature, including prepubescence and early adolescence, and those who are sterile. The cells within their bodies still continue to replicate asexually, thereby adhering to that specific characteristic. If a human is human from zygote to adulthood, then the killing of that human during those stages and every developmental stage between them is considered homicide. [b][u]Sources[/u][/b] [spoiler]1. “Webster's Dictionary 1828 - Homicide.” Websters Dictionary 1828, webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/homicide. 2. “Homicide.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homicide. 3. “Homicide | Definition of Homicide in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/homicide. 4. US Legal, Inc. “Justifiable Homicide Law and Legal Definition.” Fraud Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc., definitions.uslegal.com/j/justifiable-homicide/. 5. “Justifiable & Excusable Homicides: Definitions & Examples.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/justifiable-excusable-homicides-definitions-examples.html. 6. “9.1 Homicide .” University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing Edition, 2016. This Edition Adapted from a Work Originally Produced in 2010 by a Publisher Who Has Requested That It Not Receive Attribution., 17 Dec. 2015, open.lib.umn.edu/criminallaw/chapter/9-1-homicide/. 7. “Human.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/human. 8. “Human Being | Definition of Human Being in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/human_being. [/spoiler]