THE WONDER OF THE BABY IN THE WOMB

Life starts the moment the male sperm burrows into the female egg.  It fertilizes the egg. The egg changes so that no other sperm can get in. Conception has taken place. Life has started.

At the instant of fertilization the baby’s genes and sex are set. If the sperm has Y chromosome the baby will be a boy. If it has X chromosome, the baby will be a girl. The sex of the baby is due the male sperm. The mother just supplies the egg. From here on for nine months the baby grows in the womb.

Within three days after conception the fertilized egg is dividing very fast into many cells. It passes down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it attaches to the uterine wall.

In four weeks the baby is developing the structures that will eventually form its face and neck. The heart and blood vessels start to develop and the lungs, stomach and liver start to develop.

At 8 weeks the baby is now over half an inch in size. Eyelids and ears are formed, and you can see the tip of the nose. The arms and legs are well formed. The fingers and toes grow longer and more distinct.

At 12 weeks the baby measures about 2 inches and starts to make its own movements. The doctor may hear the baby’s heart beats. The sex organs should start to become clear.

At 16 weeks the baby now measures about 4.3 to 4.6 inches and weighs about 3.5 ounces. The baby’s eyes can blink and the heart and blood vessels are fully formed. The baby’s fingers and toes have fingerprints.

At 20 weeks the baby weighs about 10 ounces and is a little more than 6 inches long. The baby can suck its thumb, yawn and stretch and make faces. It should now be possible to find out whether it is a boy or a girl.

At 24 weeks the baby weighs about 1.4 pounds and responds to sounds by moving or increasing its pulse. From this time on the baby’s hearing develops enough for it to respond to noises outside the womb. The baby can move its body to the rhythm of its mother’s speech. An emotional bond is taking place between the baby and the mother.

At 28 weeks the baby weighs about 2 pounds 6 ounces and often moves around in the womb.

At 32 weeks the baby weighs about 4 pounds and is moving a lot. Between now and the delivery the baby will gain up to half its birth weight.

At 36 weeks, on average, the baby is about 18.5 inches long and weighs close to 6 pounds. The brain has been developing rapidly. The lungs are nearly fully developed. The baby’s senses have developed.

At any time the mother can decide to terminate the pregnancy. In law the baby has no ‘human rights’. Forceps are entered into the vagina and get hold of a leg, tear it from the torso and bring it out of the vagina and deposit it on slab. The same goes for the other leg, then the arms, everything torn from the torso, finally the head is wrenched from the torso which is then itself withdrawn from the womb. The slab now contains the six parts of what a few minutes earlier was a baby alive and well in the womb.

At the time of a General Election Anti-Abortionists try and get BBC and ITV producers to show a film of this abortion taking place so that the general public can see what happens. They are always refused on the grounds that it would be too stressful for anyone to see. I have seen it at a private showing. It is not a pretty sight.

POSTSCRIPT

In our country:

Fox Hunting is forbidden. 
Cock Fighting is forbidden.  
Dog Fighting is forbidden.  
Hare Coursing is illegal.   
Badger Baiting is forbidden.
Magpies are protected.   

But the Baby in the womb has no protection.