Like when an unfertilized egg is suddenly defined as an "embryo"?
Sorry, couldn't resist ;)
I can't retrieve his old NYT op-ed article, but you can get more of an idea of his interest in determining the moment at which human life begins from this....Facts of Life: Science & the Abortion Controversy
Here is an excerpt from the Amazon editorial review of Trefil's book -- Facts of Life
Reviewing the latest advances in molecular biology, evolutionary biology, embryology, neurophysiology, and neonatology--fields that all bear on this question--the authors reveal a surprising consensus of scientific opinion; that humanness begins around the twenty-forth [sic] week of gestation when connections needed for brain function are finally made. A fascinating inquiry, moving across various scientific disciplines, The Facts of Life makes a valuable contribution to the continuing abortion controversy, and offers a fascinating glimpse of what makes us uniquely human.
Consensuses are nice collections of various scientists' ideas. The "true" or "factual" or "real" answer may be located somewhere in a consensus. But a consensus is not the "true" answer.
I thought scientists are most happy when they find elegant and simple answers to their questions. The opposite seems true among pro-choice scientists, who keep snuffling around for excuses to kill embryos or fetuses.