VIRAL VIDEO: BILL NYE, “SCIENCE GUY”, CLAIMS FERTILIZED EGGS ARE NOT HUMANS~PRO LIFERS PUSH BACK

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

 A video on social media of Bill Nye, known as “The Science Guy,” asserting that 

fertilized eggs are not humans, has gone viral and has caused pro-lifers to push 

back against his claims.

In the video, recently shared by Big Think and having 33 million
views as of press time, Nye remarked that eggs accept sperm all the
time, but that in order for a fertilized egg to develop, it must attach
to the uterine wall.

“If you’re going to say, ‘When an egg is fertilized it [has] the same
rights as an individual,’ then whom are you going to sue? Whom are you
going to imprison? Every woman whose had a fertilized egg pass through
her? Every guy whose sperm has fertilized an egg and it didn’t become a
human? Have all these people failed you?” he asked.

“It’s just a reflection of a deep scientific lack of understanding.
You apparently literally don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nye
claimed. “You wouldn’t know how big a human egg was if it weren’t for
microscopes, if it weren’t for scientists [or] medical researchers
looking diligently. You wouldn’t know the process. You wouldn’t have
that famous shots where the sperm are bumping up against the egg—you
wouldn’t have that without science.”

“So, to claim that you know the next step when you obviously don’t is troubling,” he said.

Nye opined that while no one likes abortion, people shouldn’t tell others what to do.

“Recommending or insisting on abstinence has been completely
ineffective,” he contended. “Closing abortion clinics, not giving women
access to birth control, has been an ineffective way to lead to
healthier societies.”

“I understand that you have deeply-held beliefs, and it really is
ultimately out of respect for people—in this case, your perception of
unborn people,” Nye stated, but added, “I really encourage you to look
at the facts.”

He asserted that there are other problems to solve in the world besides abortion.

“My mother was a woman, just for example,” Nye said. “They’re everywhere.”

The video was apparently first recorded and shared on YouTube in
2015, but an edited version was just recently posted to Big Think’s
Facebook page. Click here to view the Jan. 27 post. 

The Facebook upload resulted in over a thousand comments from those
on both sides of the issue, including pro-life Americans who said that
it is instead Nye who is wrong.

“As an ultrasound tech, I can tell you from scanning a 5.5 week old
‘fertilized egg’ that I see its heartbeat. At 9 weeks, it’s forming
limbs. And [at] 15, I can see the sex in some and the legs, arms,
organs—and yes, its a baby, fully,” wrote Melissa Crise. “I can tell you
lots of things you’ll never hear of because I scan these babies from
5.5 weeks until 40. From an engineer, I find it disgraceful you are a
voice of science, especially when you speak about subjects you know
nothing about.”

“A fertilized egg is an egg that has been chosen to form and grow
into a baby. A month after, there is a full heartbeat and if you see an
ultrasound or any xray, you will see the body, the forming bones,” also
remarked Kayla Cloutier. “By this understanding from Bill Nye, it is
offensive to ask pregnant women if they have a name or gender for the
baby, because it isn’t a baby yet, it’s just bleh. Don’t buy any
clothing or set up the room; you don’t have a baby, its just an egg.
It’s not a baby. I remember seeing a premature baby at 12 weeks. 12
weeks out of the womb, she was moving; she had a heartbeat. She was very
well alive.”

“I see your sleight of hand. … If an egg is fertilized and then
passed, it was passed naturally. But why do you stop at fertilization?
Fertilization doesn’t always equal pregnancy,” likewise commented Isreal
Salinas. “What most logical people … talk about is when the egg
implants itself into the uterine wall. At that point, the process of
development will begin. And there is a big difference between an egg
passing naturally, and electing to destroy the human life growing.”

As previously reported, although Nye describes himself as “The
Science Guy,” his background rather is in mechanical engineering, and he
only holds “honorary doctorate of science” degrees from supportive
educational institutions. He routinely uses his platform to promote
evolution and criticize the biblical creation account.