2010-10-11, 03:11 AM
Cancambo Wrote:The reason vira aren't "alive" is because they can't reproduce by themselves. Cells are living because they can reproduce without the help of another cell. A virus has to infect a living cell to reproduce. A fetus is alive because its cells are reproducing without having to infect another cell to do so. Therefore, the fetus is a living human.
If you remove a gamete from the womb, it's going to stop multiplying fairly quickly. The definition of a single unit of life is individual survival. That's why your stomach cells and your heart cells aren't considered two entirely different organisms. They will die without the rest of the human body. Before a fetus can survive on its own, it's just like another organ, except it doesn't actually do anything to help its host.