Life and cognizance are redefined as new data is examined. Slime mold is said to "think" without a brain to navigate mazes (I wonder if it senses chemical or winds?). Man-O-War jellyfish have almost identical DNA with box jellyfish, yet the Man-O-War (from the same hatching) can merge 1 celled babies to form a jellyfish, and that jellyfish can later break apart to form one celled animals. The abortion argument is based on the definition of life (when it begins). Currently it is thought, by most, to begin when the brain works. If so, brain-dead people are not alive. The definition of life includes procreation, if so, impotent or castrated humans would not be alive. If we worry about potential to live, we'd have to worry about the billions of sperm that fail to meet an egg. Yet, if we ignore the potential of life, we could chop the arms off of a fetus and let it grow up without arms (because when it was chopped, it was a mere fetus...which looked like a tiny fish). In terminating life, we think it is cruel to assist suicide of the terminally ill. Yet, when Karen Ann Quinlan was murdered, she was taken off life support (breathing), deprived of food and water, and died of dehydration (is that the humane way of killing?). Lostwanderingsoul made a great point about fetuses getting air from the umbilical rather than breathing (the bible talks of breath of life). DNA can now be selected for offspring. Will everyone be blond and blue eyed? Will Nazis use their impossible standards of purity to judge humanity? I wonder if humans will be as good as God at being God when they play God?