In rare instances a book appears that irreversibly shapes the debate on a social issue. Malthus'dire predictions of an expanding human population ultimately exhausting our planet's resources has continued as part of the world's debate on that issue for generations. A few decades ago Rachael Carson's Silent Spring gathered the scattered evidence of environmental degradation, gave it a focus and spawned today's ecology movement. In the opening chapters are an intriguing examination of the simply mechanics And overwhelming obstacles to the creation of each new human life. Few eggs are fertilized.
Most embryos perish, passing through the womb without attaching to the uterine wall.
The embryo which attaches slowly grows into a fetus. Professor Silver seems to favor the point between 24 and 26 weeks at which the fetus becomes visible and the brain becomes wired, capable of consciousness and feeling pain. Between 18 and 22 weeks, the fetus may indeed kick but such activity is the result of random electrical stimulation of muscle tissue, not of conscious decisions made by the fetal brain. Such information may soothe the discomfort felt by many who've seen anti-abortion films such as The Silent Scream . However, Remaking Eden primarily focuses on science's current and future impact on the traditional process of childbearing.