EDITOR: I am forced to disagree with the conclusions Dr. D.J. Freeman reached in his recent letter. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines "science" as "the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natual world through observation and experiment."
Based on this definition, it is scientifically accurate to state that human life begins at conception, for the following reasons:
? It is an observable fact that the "fertilized ovum conceived by male and female humans," in Freeman's phrase, is a living cell which, given normal intrauterine conditions, will eventually develop into a recognizable, living human embryo.
? It has never been observed that such a specimen has developed into any form of life other than a human baby. To state, as Freeman did, that the living embryo resulted from this living, fertilized ovum "may ... for some reason not result in a genuine Homo sapiens baby" is to contradict the observed results of billions of "experiments," commonly known as "pregnancies," during a span of thousands of years, during which, barring miscarriages, every fertilized human ovum went on to become a living human embryo and eventually a "genuine Homo sapiens" - or human - baby.
Therefore, it is actually more scientifically accurate to say "human life begins at conception" than to use Freeman's suggested phrase, "it is possible that human life may result from conception.