Yet God's response has not been to destroy those who are less developed as His images. All humans, whether they accept God's help or not, remain images of God. Just as humans can develop spiritually, they also develop biologically. But that does not change their status as persons and images of God. Only continuity is suggested.
Continuity is the pattern.
No change in moral status is suggested. The person who is an adult was also a person when he or she lived in the womb. A third biblical principle deals with the vulnerability of embryos, and the unborn in general. Throughout the Bible, one of God's concerns was for the well-being of the weak and vulnerable. Whether it be the widows, orphans, and the poor of the Old Testament, or the women, children, and lepers of the New Testament, God wants them cared for and protected.