ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Beginning of human personhood

Do you remember when you were a baby? You couldn't talk, walk, or do much on your own, but as you grew, you started learning new things and becoming more independent. That's kind of like how humans become people.

Before you're born, you're called a fetus. Some people believe that a person becomes a person at the moment of conception, which is when a sperm from a man joins with an egg from a woman. Others believe that a person only becomes a person when they are born and take their first breath.

As the fetus grows inside the mother's womb, it starts developing organs, limbs, and a brain. But even when a fetus is fully formed, it's still not quite a person yet. This is because it can't survive on its own outside of the mother's body.

In some countries, there are laws that protect a fetus as if it were already a person, while in others, it's not considered a person until it's born. This is a complicated issue that people have been debating for a long time, and everyone has different opinions.

But one thing is for sure: when a baby is born and takes its first breath, it becomes a person. From that moment on, it starts growing and learning and becoming the unique human being that it was meant to be.