1.When does the heart first begin to beat?
The heartbeat begins between the 21st and the 23rd day.

2. When does the baby first begin to move?
The baby makes her/his first reflex movements around 40 days. Touching around the mouth with a fine bristle causes her/him to flex her/his neck.

3. Isn't it just a "blob of tissue"?
At just 8 weeks, the baby is well-proportioned, about the size of a thumb. Every organ is present. The liver is making blood, the kidneys function, and the heart beats steadily. The skull, elbows, and knees are forming. Of the 4500 structures of the body, 4000 are already present

4. How early can a baby survive outside the mother's womb?
Currently, twenty weeks is considered the accepted minimum. However, this time is continually reduced as medical technology continues to improve.

5. What about cases of rape and incest?
Pregnancy from rape is extremely rare. A study of one thousand rape victims who were treated after the rape reported no pregnancies. There are few know studies of incest cases. The Allan Guttmacher institute interviewed women on their reasons for having an abortion. One percent reported their reason as rape, and less than half of one percent reported incest as their reason. Rape and incest are terrible crimes that should be punished to the full extent of the law. But it is unfair and unjust to kill an innocent child for the crimes of another person.

6. Don't women get abortions for really important medical reasons?
By contrast in the same interviews, 74% of the women said they obtained an abortion because "having a baby would dramatically change my life," 73% reported "can't afford a baby now," 48% said "don't want to be a single mother"nor "having relationship problems." (More than one reason could be given, so the total is more than 100%). Mother's health problems accounted for only 12% of the study, and the health of the fetus came in at 13%. Clearly the reasons woman have abortions is more to do with convenience than medical reasons.

7. But what about the child with disease who will die a slow death or live his/her life as a burden to his/her family?

Do you believe the new "ethic" should be that we kill the suffering or burdensome? Some of these cases are tragic, some are also inspirational. We cannot assume the responsibility for killing an unborn child simply because the child has not yet been seen in public. The child's place of residence does not change what abortion does- kill a human being.

References:
*Carlson,b., Human Embryology & Developmental Biology, Toronto: Mosby Publication; 3rd edition,2004
*Moore, K and Persaud, T., The Developing Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th Edition, Philadelphia; W.B. Sanders, 1998.
*O'Rahilly, R. and Muller, F., Human Embryology and Teratology, 3rd Edition, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2001.
*AGI, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions:Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives found at: here