When does life begin?

A friend had posted the question on her facebook wall, "When do you define 'conception'? Fertilization, Implantation...?" I immediately knew my answer, but was surprised to see the range of opinions on this issue. I guess because this woman is a Bible-believing Christian pastor's wife, I assumed the vast majority of answers would be, "fertilization," but that was not the case.

I greatly appreciated one person's comment: "As soon as an egg and sperm fuse, you have a cell that is uniquely human. That one cell has human DNA. The conception of something is it's beginning. Webster's even defines conception as fertilization. There's no denying humanity begins at this stage."

The problem I have with the birth control pill is that it is abortifacient--it is devised to inhibit implantation in case of accidental fertilization. A lot of pro-lifers don't seem to know this, and that really bothers me. It is, in fact, the reason I started this blog. I guess I have just discovered an even bigger problem now, if people do not understand when life begins.