Overview
The purpose of this Prenatal Development Reflection Essay Assignment is to increase your knowledge of prenatal development and to reflect on a question that is considered somewhat controversial: “When does life begin?”
Instructions
- Locate the article “When do human beings begin? Scientific myths and scientific facts,” by Dianne Irving (found in the Jerry Falwell Library and the Resources section) and download a PDF copy of it.You can read it online or save a copy to your computer.
- Read the article, and identify two arguments for the position which states that life begins at conception, and identify two arguments for the position which states that life begins at a later point in development.
- Write a brief essay (500-800 words) reflecting on what you have learned. Identify which argument you believe has the greatest support from a scientific perspective. See the suggested outline provided below.
- Please note that while this issue does have significant moral and spiritual implications, this essay should focus on the scientific arguments outlined in the assigned article.
Assignment Requirements:
- Identify your sources! Current APA guidelines require that a citation be used to identify any/all sources of information that are not considered common knowledge.
- Do not include direct quotes; instead, paraphrase information about your chosen theory. Remember that your source must be identified with a citation even if you rewrite the information in your own words.
- Your Prenatal Development Reflection Essay Assignment must include the following:
- A current APA-formatted title page.
- 2–3 pages of text (at least 500, but not more than 800 words).
- Use current APA guidelines to include level-one headings to identify each paragraph/section of your essay.
- A current APA-formatted reference page.
- Please edit your work to stay within the assignment parameters. Stay on topic, and write in a clear manner.
Outline:
- In your first paragraph explain present the issue and explain why it is important to the study of prenatal development.
- In your second paragraph briefly describe at least two arguments that support the idea that human life begins at conception.
- In your third paragraph briefly describe at least two arguments that support the idea that human life begins later in development
- In your final paragraph, summarize and reflect on which position you believe has the most support from a scientific perspective. Explain why you believe this is the strongest argument.
