Os argumentos científicos

Há dias, Albino Aroso debatia com Nuno Montenegro no canal RTP Notícias o Código Deontológico dos Médicos, a propósito de uma eventual alteração que permita a prática do aborto.

Albino Aroso explicou ainda o porquê das 10 semanas para a IVG. Começou por defender (e bem) que a vida humana é um processo contínuo, lembrou que a morte cerebral é o critério utilizado para determinar a morte de um ser humano, e referiu que às 5 semanas se forma o sistema nervoso humano. O argumento é este: se o fim da vida humana é determinado pela morte cerebral, deve ser o aparecimento do sistema nervoso a determinar o seu início. Daí as 10 semanas. Brilhante! As voltas que este homem deu!

Ora bem, se a vida humana é um processo contínuo, isso não significa que todas as medidas que impeçam a viabilidade do zigoto em qualquer momento entre o instante da fertilização e o parto constituem, em sentido estrito, procedimentos para induzir o aborto?

Para conhecimento, eis uma descrição científica importante sobre o começo da gravidez:

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A new human being is conceived when a sperm fertilizes an egg. The sperm has 23 chromosomes and so does the egg. But the fertilized egg has 46, half from each parent, and is genetically unique. These 46 chromosomes, which are fixed at conception, establish the child's sex and are a blueprint for how it will develop, both during pregnancy and after birth.

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Although the child begins developing immediately after conception, the most visible advances occur during the third to eighth weeks. In fact, key organs are already developing in the third week - a time when many women are just beginning to wonder if they are pregnant.

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Blood vessels start to form very early, about 13-18 days after fertilization. Then, on about the 20th day - nearly the end of the third week - the foundation of the brain, the spinal cord, and the entire nervous system is established.

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The eyes begin to develop early in the fourth week after conception. During this extremely critical week the esophagus, gallbladder, liver, lungs, pancreas, pharynx, stomach, and trachea also begin to form. And, toward the end of the week, the nose, tongue, and spleen also start to develop.

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The heart begins to beat on about the 22nd day after conception, circulating blood throughout the child. The arms begin to form on about day 26, followed by the beginnings of the legs on day 28, the same day that the mouth opens for the first time. Also on the 28th day, building blocks are present for 40 pairs of muscles that will run from the base of the skull to the bottom of the spinal column.

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The kidneys begin to develop early in the fifth week after conception. The jaws and ears are also forming during this week and the face starts to look human.

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The intestines are defined at the end of the first month, and the larynx is developing on about the 32nd day, the same time that spinal nerves begin to sprout and the palate is forming.

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The cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that controls the intellect and motor activity, begins to differentiate on the 33rd day after conception, the same day that the forearms and shoulders can be distinguished. The elbows are developing on the 34th day, as are both hand and foot plates.

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The olfactory nerve, which is related to the sense of smell, is present in the brain on the 35th day after conception, the day when the ribs begin to form and lengthen.

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Both the upper and lower lips are forming early in the sixth week after conception. Also during the sixth week the eye is obvious, reflecting the fact that retinal pigment is already present. The beginnings of the eyelids and the fingers are also forming during the sixth week, the testes become identifiable at this time and some salivary glands appear. By the sixth to seventh weeks after conception, the heart is contracting forty to eighty times each minute.

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The aorta is developing on the 36th day after conception, and all the muscle blocks have appeared. The feet and the thighs become distinct on the 37th day. Finger rays are visible on the 38th day, when the nose is also formed. The urinary bladder is developing on the 39th day, and on the 40th day, the forehead, nostrils, diaphragm and teeth are beginning to appear.

Continuar a ler aqui.

Do ponto de vista científico, biológico, médico (seja lá o que fôr), nada justifica a sua aprovação. Só mesmo a vontade pessoal de alguém, e isso, como sabemos, é do mais subjectivo que há, o que coloca outra questão pertinente. É aceitável, do ponto de vista jurídico, existir uma lei fundamentada em critérios subjectivos? Este é um assunto para futuros postes.

Cientificamente, estamos conversados.