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The psychologists evidently never took a biology course. If they did, it's not evident from their comments.

"Alive" is well defined in the biological sciences, and the zygote qualifies as being alive in that he or she maintains homeostasis, grows, and functions according to the nature of a member of the species at that stage of development.

What these last 2 women are discussing is the "moral status" of the embryo: not his or her biological life, but whether he or she is a legal person. It is true that science cannot determine the personhood of any of us.

However, if there is to be any equality of protection of the right not to be killed, there must be an acknowledgement of all of us who qualify as members of the species. If we were not human persons at conception, then we are faced with the dilemma of naming some other, arbitrary moment when we became persons who have the right to be killed. And that is where we as a society have found ourselves for the last 30 years.

And the delineating moment of personhood varies with geography, the local technology, and the wishes of the very people that the helpless most depend upon.

The next logical question is that if we can become a person because we aquire a certain function, a certain size, or a certain age, then can we become not a person if we no longer measure up? How long must we possess or lack a certain quality before our status changes from non-person to person and back again?

Als raises an interesting question with her assertion that there are many factors to consider when naming another member of our species as a person. How many factors, what weight shall we give each factor, and who will make the decision?

Tell me psychologists, do you measure up to my idea of the qualities of a person? If I'm not convinced - and with logic like this, you probably won't be able to pass the test I design with my own purposes in mind - may I act to enslave or kill you? Why should I even test you, if there's a chance that you aren't a person, why not go ahead and do what ever I want, all the while preventing you from expressing your personhood?

Don't worry, my personal test is human species - not whether your logic matches mine.