Live Action recently posted a photo on X that shows that a baby developing in the womb is not “just a clump of cells,” even at eight weeks gestation. Though the baby is only about half an inch long and roughly the size of a raspberry, retinas begin to form during this stage, as well as intestines and other organs. This is also the time when fingers and toes start to take shape and the baby gains the ability to flex at the elbows. In about 10 more weeks, the baby’s sex can be determined.  

To call a preborn baby that is growing and developing in the womb “a clump of cells” is as reductionistic as calling a born human “a clump of cells.” I mean, in one sense it’s true, we are all clumps of cells. However, it’s an absurdly incomplete picture of what a human being really is.