Others insist the human fetus becomes a person at birth, or even at some time after birth. Still others point to a time in the middle, the twentieth week of gestation, because at that point a baby is viable - can live outside the womb. The question is important when thinking about abortion. Heartbeat Modern technology can detect a baby's heartbeat eighteen days after conception. That is only four days after most women miss a period and begin to suspect they are pregnant.
Brain waves Six weeks after conception signals from the fetal brain can be detected.
Dream patterns have been discovered around the eighth or ninth week. Perhaps more advanced technology will someday show us heartbeats and brain waves at even earlier stages in the unborn child's life. Kicking, swimming, jumping and stretching. This is long before the mother will feel any sensations of movement. A baby in the womb is capable of responding to touch and sound by about the eighth or tenth week.