--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So the time line of when we consider a…" description: "\"So the time line of when we consider a fetus 'human' is arbitrary after conception.\" — Ron Paul" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png" --- # So the time line of when we consider a fetus 'human' is… ![“So the time line of when we consider a fetus 'human' is arbitrary after conception.” quote by Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png) > “So the time line of when we consider a fetus 'human' is arbitrary after conception.” [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defining when a fetus becomes human is a subjective choice after conception. **In simple terms:** Human status of a fetus is a matter of opinion. Key Takeaway Recognize the debate’s subjectivity. Themes ethics biology law personhood policy Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical political When to use this quote - abortion legislation - medical ethics education - public policy debate Key Concepts bioethics philosophy politics Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance moral views with scientific facts? - What criteria should guide legal definitions? A Different Perspective It may ignore scientific consensus on development stages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary/) [Arbitrary Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary-conception-5627473/) [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [Consider Fetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-fetus-5627475/) [Fetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fetus/) [Fetus Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fetus-human-1796355/) [Human Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-arbitrary-5627474/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [With respect to those meanings of 'human' that are relevant to the morality of abortion, any fetus is less human than an adult pig,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/with-respect-to-those-meanings-of-human-that-are-relevant-to-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [There's a a right to privacy for all individuals and all who have legal rights - and that includes the unborn. As an obstetrician,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/there-s-a-a-right-to-privacy-for-all-individuals-and-all-who-have/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Scientifically, there's no debate over whether the fetus is alive and human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/scientifically-there-s-no-debate-over-whether-the-fetus-is-alive-and/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn from limb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/the-fetus-in-many-cases-dies-just-as-a-human-adult-or-child-would-it/) [Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/) > [What it gives any human being a right to - to pick and choose which embryo - which fetus is more valuable than another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadya-suleman/what-it-gives-any-human-being-a-right-to-to-pick-and-choose-which/) [Nadya Suleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadya-suleman/) > [There's a difference between early and late abortions. If you have a late abortion, where the fetus might feel pain, then I think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/there-s-a-difference-between-early-and-late-abortions-if-you-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don't know that abortion is killing. So any pretense that abortion is not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-wattleton/i-think-we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-that-people-don-t/) [Faye Wattleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-wattleton/) > [The use of fetuses as organ and tissue donors is a ticking time bomb of bioethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-caplan/the-use-of-fetuses-as-organ-and-tissue-donors-is-a-ticking-time-bomb/) [Arthur Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-caplan/) > [“No, I'm the human here. I'm the life at stake. I'm the one with fingernails, who feels pain. Me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicen-grey/no-i-m-the-human-here-i-m-the-life-at-stake-i-m-the-one-with/) [Alicen Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicen-grey/) > [A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction as to its being completely formed or unformed is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/a-woman-who-deliberately-destroys-a-fetus-is-answerable-for-murder/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Americans of faith should try as hard to save the lives of African women as the lives of unborn fetuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/americans-of-faith-should-try-as-hard-to-save-the-lives-of-african/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [“It's kinda cool to think about you as a real person, instead of some fetus ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-frank/it-s-kinda-cool-to-think-about-you-as-a-real-person-instead-of-some/) [Hillary Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-frank/) > [Before a baby is born, you have a baby shower, not a fetus shower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-hunt/before-a-baby-is-born-you-have-a-baby-shower-not-a-fetus-shower/) [June Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-hunt/) > [ \[Margot Hentoff\] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-this-i-hear-from-a-lot-of/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [A pregnant woman and her spouse dream of three babies--the perfect four-month-old who rewards them with smiles and musical cooing,the impaired baby, who changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-berry-brazelton/a-pregnant-woman-and-her-spouse-dream-of-three-babies-the-perfect/) [T. Berry Brazelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-berry-brazelton/) ## More by Ron Paul > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I'm an imperfect messenger, but the message is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-m-an-imperfect-messenger-but-the-message-is-perfect/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [History has shown that the masses have been quite receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/history-has-shown-that-the-masses-have-been-quite-receptive-to-the/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-reality-is-that-our-military-presence-on-foreign-soil-is-as/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Right now, nobody legalized paper money. Where did that come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/right-now-nobody-legalized-paper-money-where-did-that-come-from/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/real-patriotism-is-a-willingness-to-challenge-the-government-when-it/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Expect the rapidly expanding homeschooling movement to play a significant role in the revolutionary reforms needed to build a free society with Constitutional protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/expect-the-rapidly-expanding-homeschooling-movement-to-play-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“Intellectually and compassionately explaining the reason freedom works is required for credibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/intellectually-and-compassionately-explaining-the-reason-freedom/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Governments have nothing. They can't create anything, they never have. All they can do is steal from one group and give it to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/governments-have-nothing-they-can-t-create-anything-they-never-have/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Why is it is claimed that if people won't or can't take care of their own needs, that people in government can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/why-is-it-is-claimed-that-if-people-won-t-or-can-t-take-care-of-their/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [It is dissent from government policies which defines the true Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/it-is-dissent-from-government-policies-which-defines-the-true-patriot/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I will veto any spending bill that contains funding for Planned Parenthood, facilities that perform abortion and all government family planning schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-will-veto-any-spending-bill-that-contains-funding-for-planned/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Prices are going up. Unemployment is continue to go up. And we have not had the necessary correction for the financial bubble created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/prices-are-going-up-unemployment-is-continue-to-go-up-and-we-have-not/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Scientifically, there's no debate over whether the fetus is alive and human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/scientifically-there-s-no-debate-over-whether-the-fetus-is-alive-and/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) [Explore all 411 Ron Paul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) [Madison Badesheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-badesheim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) [Sonya Renee Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-renee-taylor/) > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So the time line of when we consider a fetus 'human' is arbitrary after conception.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ron Paul" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-fetus-human-is-arbitrary-after/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abortion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-fetus-human-is-arbitrary-after/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/ron-paul-686_abortion_so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-f_3146124.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So the time line of when we consider a fetus 'human' is arbitrary after conception.” — Ron Paul", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ron Paul", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So the time line of when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-fetus-human-is-arbitrary-after/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/so-the-time-line-of-when-we-consider-a-fetus-human-is-arbitrary-after/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```