The central question in the abortion debate is not, When does a person become a person? That phrasing is already confused, because “personhood” has been granted to corporations, rivers, animals and even machines. The sharper and unavoidable question is this: When does a human become a human?
This is the point on which everything turns.
Humanity Cannot Be Graduated Into
No one debates whether a newborn is human. The question is whether the child in the womb already is. The answer cannot be gradual. A human being is not partly human one day and fully human the next. Humanity is not measured in percentages or developmental milestones.
If humanity were something that emerged in degrees, then we would never be able to say with certainty who is human at all. Premature infants, the disabled, or the elderly would all be subject to exclusion based on shifting standards. The very category of “human” would collapse into arbitrariness.
Rights Must Be Bound to Humanity
Unalienable rights are not given because of what a being can do, but because of what a being is. And what a being is—its very essence—must be clear. If rights depend on age, ability, or circumstance, then they are no longer rights but privileges. The only coherent anchor for rights is humanity itself.
Therefore, the right to life must begin when humanity begins. And I would argue that humanity begins at the beginning, for it would be an absurdity to begin anywhere else. Where is the beginning, you may ask? It is at conception—for we cannot place humanity at a time before conception, and we dare not place it after, lest we sever life from its very origin.
The Absurdity of “Potential Humans”
Some claim the child in the womb is merely a “potential human.” But there is no such thing as a potential human—only a human with potential.
To call a child “potentially human” is like calling an acorn “potentially oak.” An acorn is not a pinecone or a pebble. It is oak in seed form. So too, from conception forward, the child is not a potential species but a full member of the human family at the earliest stage of development.
Observing, Not Granting, Humanity
At conception, science observes what God has created: a new human being with unique DNA, metabolism, capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, and ability to reproduce at the cellular level. These are the qualities by which biology recognizes life.
But science does not give value. It cannot confer worth. Science only records what has already been woven by the Creator. When it identifies these qualities, it is not granting humanity—it is observing the imago Dei, the image of God stamped upon the child.
As the psalmist declares: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13–14). Long before ultrasound or genetic mapping, God’s Word had already declared the truth: the womb is the workshop of the Creator, and conception marks the beginning of His handiwork.
Conception as the Only Consistent Beginning
Every human life has a beginning. It is not at birth, which is merely a change of location. It is not at viability, which depends on technology. It is not at consciousness, which comes and goes in sleep or injury. It is at conception—the moment a new and unique human organism comes into existence.
From that moment, everything that makes the individual who they are is present in seed form: the genetic code, the capacity for growth, the identity as a human being. Nothing essential is added later.
The debate over rights is, at its core, a debate over humanity. If we cannot define when a human becomes a human, we cannot defend rights at all. The only consistent and non-arbitrary answer is conception.
Therefore, the right to life must begin when humanity begins. And humanity begins at the beginning, for it would be an absurdity to begin anywhere else. Where is the beginning? It is at conception—for we cannot place humanity at a time before conception, and we dare not place it after, lest we sever life from its very origin.
A human does not become human. A human begins human. And because of this, the right to life begins when life begins—at conception. Anything else is not only inconsistent but incoherent, leaving the weakest among us vulnerable to the whims of power.
Join me at the End Abortion Iowa Conference in Des Moines January 30-31.
Author: Sam Jones
Pastor Sam Jones currently serves as Senior Pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Humboldt, IA. He married the love of his life Sarah in 2013; they have two sons Thomas and Henry. He is most known for his teachings on the 4 spheres of delegated government and being a voice for the pre-born. In addition to his Pastoring schedule, Pastor Sam is an avid podcaster and has been known to dabble in radio as well. His political commentary has appeared in dozens of news outlets across the country including: The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and The Iowa Standard. Pastor Sam is the author of 5 Steps to Kill a Nation. He is also a co-author of Social Injustice, Church and State, and Enemies Within the Church Bible Study.
