As life and death exist, so do arguments over whether or not death exists at a certain point, or when life truly begins. It goes without the necessity of mentioning that life and death have been and remain to be controversial subjects in a variety of contexts, be it legal, medical, scientific, or even religious. Regardless, this constant controversy has been influenced mostly in part of religious organizations and public interest groups. For the longest time people have looked down upon things such as abortions because they interfere with what their religious law tells them. This religion aspect has pull on not only life, but also on death- as many thoughts and beliefs about the end of life are religious, such as concepts as heaven, hell, rebirth, and afterlife to name a few. On the other hand, groups such as Planned Parenthood advocate more for the life and well-being of mothers than fetuses. This point is not for argument, just a statement of fact. The concept of life, then must differ drastically if one group is to shame abortion for being “murder” while another advocates for it to save lives. This concept of life, and what life is to different people and groups often starts from as early as conception.
There is no set in stone point at which life begins that has been widely agreed upon. That out of the way, I can discuss a few different arguments on the beginning of life. Many folks, more traditionally valued and right wing, tend to believe a life starts at conception. The cells of a human being are present, and therefore a human life has begun. A common argument among these “pro-lifers” is that a fetus has working and functioning human parts, such as limbs, or organs. This argument is also typically supported with religion being a basis for the morality of the decision of deciding what life is. Meanwhile, another common viewpoint on the beginning of life is that life begins as soon as a baby is born. This argument seems to be favored more by liberal, progressively idealed people versus the more conservative viewpoint aforementioned. Arguments include that since a fetus simply cannot function as a human being, interacting and learning; breathing air and being conscious are not facts of this amniotic “life”. More science is looked into in the basis of this argument, as solid, logical reason defines life from this point of view. Nonetheless, as much as the beginning of life sparks controversy among people, the end of it seems to spark just a bit more.
Death. Death seems on the surface to be more concrete; a more solid, matter-of-fact process than conception. Death is widely agreed upon as being the ending of a human life- but what the ending of that life really means is what initiates so much debate. There are many arguments as to what death really is, and especially as to what death means. Death, to some is simply a rite of passage onto another life, while to others, death can be a solid end. A point of no return, a Game Over sequence on the longest game of them all. Still and all, the concept of what’s after death is for later discussion. Death can be defined in a number of ways, medically, biologically, even legally. These different ways to define death have given people many different ways to interpret death in societies new and old. A scientific view on death can be that one truly dies when their brain activity ceases; the flow of consciousness and action simply stops in its’ tracks. Biologically, death is seen as the point in which all biological functions that sustain human life are terminated. Heartbeats stop; lungs breathe their last breath, and brains come to a complete and total halt. This biological argument is the main agreement on what the end of life is, however, it’s what comes after that’s open to mass human interpretation.
Human life is the ability to consciously assert one’s existence to another human being. It does not entail remembering your actions, but as long as one can communicate, be it by word of mouth or sign language, and see, hear, or feel they are getting a response, they are alive. Human life entails the ability to communicate in any way, shape, or form, with your fellow man. Communication, then is seen as key in my argument, which I think seems to be the number one facet of human life, and intelligence as a whole. Communication is how we work; isolation is simply unhealthy for one and can be outright deadly. Not to ramble on death of course, but the fact is if there’s no way for you to consciously communicate with your fellow people, you’re not alive. One may beg the question of, “What about comatose people?” or “How about the disabled?” Look at it from this perspective. You weren’t born comatose; and you definitely can communicate if you’re disabled. A complete lack of communication- starting at one’s birth- defines my idea of the lack of life. One can be considered alive if they have fallen into a coma, or lost their senses of sight, hearing, or ability of speech. Once a human life, always a human life- that is, until Death.
Death, the termination of life, however is when one is biologically dead. No more, no less. If your body simply cannot function as a human, you’re dead. This can come early, or naturally; forced, or begged for. Life ends when the last neuron fires; the last breath taken, last pump of the heart. It is not always peaceful or pretty, but death is definitely the marker and point in time at which one ceases to exist on the biological plane. Yes, one’s body may physically exist, however, it remains a lifeless lump once death has truly been reached.
Life begins at birth. The first breath of air marks the first breath of life, and life only exists if a baby is outside of it’s mother’s womb. This means that fetuses would not be considered human life, and this is because a fetus does not breathe air; it does not perform human functions, it cannot consciously communicate with other humans, and it is still technically a growth off of its’ mother as long as its’ umbilical cord is intact. Once a baby is freed of its’ lifeline and forced to start crying for its’ nourishment it is truly considered human. Life, however ends at the ceasing of any and all brain activity. Be it premature or not, it is still death if a brain is completely nonfunctioning. A body’s heart may have stopped beating; lungs stopped breathing- but if brain activity is still recorded and present, someone is still alive. Life and consciousness have quite a close relationship looking at it from this perspective. One may be biologically deceased but as long as brain activity can be detected the life is not all lost. For instance, people on life support are still alive if they’re conscious and aware of their failing body parts. This also means that if someone’s organs are being kept run on life support while the brain is for all intensive purposes dead, the human life is lost. If one is unconscious and no brain activity can be monitored, they are deceased.