Early human development is inefficient: as many as 60% of fertilized embryos spontaneously abort

[andym]

Though the anti-abortion movement welcomed scientific knowledge about conception to define human life which they claim begins at conception (a concept that was not well understood before science discovered the mechanism), they have not accounted for the inefficiency of early development and embryos that will not develop to term. Of pregnancies women are aware of, ~15% will spontaneously abort in the first trimester, with the estimate as high as 60% for all pregnancies (women are often unaware of earliest pregnancies). Embryogenesis is a complex, inefficient process.*

Such knowledge clearly impacts any definition of when human life legally begins, but also has implications for anti-abortion laws in red states. Will they decide to make any evidence of an abortion, spontaneous or not a crime? Hopefully not, but given their biblically-oriented motivations it could happen, and the underlying science will be ignored. Perhaps it is only a matter of time when courts begin to rule that life legally begins at conception (due to challenges to antiabortion laws) making women legally responsible for failed pregnancies, and the conservative Supreme Court gives its seal of approval, despite biological facts that suggest that this definition is unworkable.


---
Reference
*Larsen, E.C., Christiansen, O.B., Kolte, A.M. et al. New insights into mechanisms behind miscarriage. BMC Med 11, 154 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-11-154
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-154
"Human reproduction is characterized by its inefficiency. Prospective cohort studies using sensitive and specific daily urinary hCG assays in women trying to conceive have demonstrated that only around one-third of conceptions progress to a live birth [34–36]. An estimated 30% of human conceptions are lost prior to implantation and a further 30% following implantation but before the missed menstrual period, that is in the third or fourth week of gestation. These are often termed preclinical losses."

[MineralMan]

1. It's Efficient Enough to Enable Us to Overpopulate the Planet.

We're pushing 8 Billion humans on it now.

[andym]

2. That's because people for some reason keep trying again and again until they succeed. nt.

[MineralMan]

4. Sure. That's it for sure.

The reality is that mammalian reproduction is pretty good at weeding out defective fetuses. Stuff happens. That's why human females are fertile once a month and why males are always interested in sex. Human beings are very complex. Everything has to go just right to reproduce them.

My point is that we are certainly efficient in reproducing. Hence our overpopulation problem.

[hauckeye]

3. Will they arrest women who have miscarriages?

[JHB]

6. Not the rich blonde ones.

Likelihood goes up as hair and skin color get darker.

[gratuitous]

8. Well, it's SOMEBODY's fault!

And like Argus Filch in the Harry Potter movies, Republicans want to see some punishment!

[SoonerPride]

21. Yes. It is already happening

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59214544

When a 21-year-old Native American woman from Oklahoma was convicted of manslaughter after having a miscarriage, people were outraged. But she was not alone.

Brittney Poolaw was just about four months pregnant when she lost her baby in the hospital in January 2020.

This October, she was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter of her unborn son.

How she went from suffering a miscarriage to being jailed for killing her foetus has become the subject of much discussion online and in the press. Some on social media noted that she was convicted during pregnancy loss awareness month in the US. Others compared the case to Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale.

read on if you are strong enough to stomach it at the link

[Hekate]

22. In states where they want to have pregnancies & abortions registered, you betcha. The woman...

… must be at fault for a miscarriage — she must have done some damn thing wrong.

[Buckeyeblue]

25. They will all be potential homicide investigations

[Jerry2144]

5. When life begins is a stupid discussion

Since the egg and sperm are alive before they even meet to make an embryo. It isn’t life suddenly comes from nowhere, but a continuation of cell division that goes back, unbroken, for several billion years.

[andym]

7. True, but in humans, mammals, vertebrates etc, sex cells are haploid and the organisms are diploid

Sperm and eggs are alive, no doubt. But these organisms when they are viable need to become diploid to develop, grow and reproduce.

However, some organisms like yeasts and ferns actually can live predominantly as haploids, even an insect, male hymenopterans, can be haploid, so you have a point!

[lindysalsagal]

17. gawd doesn't g a f unless those 2 cells collide and divide!!!!!

'Cause gawd made the baby, not YOU!

Please, my head hurts.

[LastDemocratInSC]

23. That's my perspective, too.

[LeftInTX]

9. Pregnancy begins at implantation

One week after conception

It's really hard to determine if an egg has been fertilized. Fertilized eggs produce a local hormone surge. Sometimes this can be sensed by the mother, often it can't. I think I sensed a pre-implant surge in one of my pregnancies. Many women feel different at implantation, which generates another hormone surge and sometimes a sense of tightness and more progesterone production. This happened with me in all three of my pregnancies. If there is no pregnancy, progesterone decreases and premenstrual symptoms will often begin around this time.


I think most that are lost before the first missed period are due to poor eggs and poor implantation. There are a few cases I hear of slightly late and extra heavy periods, but I think most cases of loss before the missed period don't have symptoms of pregnancy.

The article addresses recurrent miscarriage. Recurrent miscarriage is usually maternal in nature.

I had fertility issues between my first and second child. A medication my doctor gave me caused an ovarian cyst and afterward, lackluster hormones. (During this test period, I ovulated monthly but did not become pregnant) Eventually, I became pregnant after daily progesterone injections which were started a few days after ovulation.

[rgbecker]

10. Alito and the others will require all intercourse to be recorded...

and registered so a proper "birthday" or "day life begins" also known as "conception" can be established in court as the handmaidens will need to assure the judges they haven't been screwing around with God's intentions.

[andym]

12. Your post sounds satirical, BUT who knows how far Alito will go. NT.

[Claire Oh Nette]

24. Hallmark can capitalize on the Conception Day trend!

We celebrate birthdays.

We don't celebrate my daddy forgot to pullout days.

Until that baby takes a breath, there is always risk.

Don't think they're not developing apps to track fertile women's menses.

But we can't have a national registry for handguns and firearms.

Got it.

[anarch]

11. well those women should be arrested; they are probably bad people who neglected their pre-babies

and caused them to abort because of their evil thoughts. They should be punished for their intransigency, clearly; our society shouldn't have to put up with such disobedience.

Perhaps we could imprison them and re-impregnate them, and just make sure they stay locked up until the precious child is born this time.

/Sarcastic Impression of Christ-fascist "Logic"

[andym]

13. Voltaire would approve of your satire. nt.

[LeftInTX]

14. Alito fails to mention that the founding fathers did not have

home pregnancy tests and ultrasounds!

[exboyfil]

15. All those souls in limbo

or heaven depending on your belief system. It is hard to imagine.

Why don't the churches rage at God like they do the women and the healthcare providers. He is the biggest abortionist in history. He particularly got off on his chosen people killing women some surely pregnant and ordering women to consume a drink to induce an abortion and destroy their reproductive organs.

[lindysalsagal]

16. Every Sperm Is Sacred (You made me do it)

&ab_channel=MontyPython

[andym]

20. Monty Python gets to the heart of the philosophy behind the "pro-life" movement. nt.

[LeftInTX]

18. Alito's argument is completely void of science

There is no science in his opinion. Most people know the facts above about early pregnancy.

I'm thinking another justice will be on Robert's side and they will support Mississippi, but not overturn Roe V Wade. It is because of these early pregnancy issues. Fifteen weeks allows eight weeks for a woman to find provider etc. The Texas law allows no abortions because technically abortions cannot be performed prior to six weeks.

I know it's harsh. I don't support Mississippi, but completely overturning Roe v Wade, will create a huge legal mess. It will create a fiasco for early pregnancy care.

[andym]

19. Alito wants to overturn Roe-- we'll see if he prevails

among his federalist society colleagues. No doubt that overturning it will create a huge mess and numerous potential tragedies. Science is only used by these people as long as it supports what they want to do--otherwise it doesn't seem to be understood by them.