Just like democrats ran ads for what they saw as our most extreme candidates, I suspect they also pushed for ‘life at conception’... Most of us feel life begins at the point of quickening - around 15 to 16 weeks. The point where the soul enters the child.
The media is going to try to hem up every GOP candidate by questioning their pro-life bonafides in order to elicit the answer that abortion should be illegal in almost all circumstance, a position that is toxic throughout most of the country.
The position that abortion should be allowed anytime for any reason is equally as toxic but Democrat candidates won't be pressed on the issue by the media.
Republicans are going to have to figure out how to thread this needle between retaining their pro-life base while appealing to the more moderate swing voters that they'll need to win statewide elections, a task that is now further complicated in light of the Dobbs ruling.
And you are of course wrong.
Life does indeed begin at conception.
You have no idea when the soul enters the body or even what a soul is because you have lost yours entirely.
“Quickening” is an archaic, unscientific term that indicates when the mother feels the baby move. It has no relation to when the baby actually begins to move which can be as early as 8-9 weeks of gestation.
As far as when the child is ensouled, I don’t think there is anyone who knows that for sure, and I don’t believe movement would be any more likely a sign of that than heartbeat or conception would be.
Conception is when a new DNA combination is created and triggers what is only growth and development after that. Nothing after conception causes such a profound change which would indicate a life-defining event. The heart beginning to beat and first movements don’t hold a candle to what happens at conception.
As far as the Christian evidence of when ensoulment occurs:
Mary went “with haste” to help Elizabeth when she learned of Elizabeth’s (6 month) pregnancy, which indicates Mary didn’t wait weeks to go. Preborn Jesus was obviously ensouled by the time she got there based on the reaction of the preborn John the Baptist to Mary’s greeting as she arrived.
Hopefully some food for thought.
Love, O2