A Fetus is Human Being Too
A popular theory in academic circles is that a fetus is not alive in an emotional or psychological sense; that is unaware of its surroundings and does not respond to them. Recent studies, however are discrediting this notion and providing conclusive evidence that a fetus in the womb can and does react to both physical stimuli, such as sound, and the moods or emotional responses of its mother.
In a very real sense then, it is experiencing joy and sorrow, and learning about rhythm and sound long before birth.
To see evidence of this prenatal learning one has only to watch a newborn baby which will stop crying and feel secure if it hears the sound of its mother's heart beating; the heartbeat being the first and single most important sound. A baby will react more strongly to its mother's voice than to any other's simply because it has been hearing this voice for nine months prior to its birth.
The famous Russian violinist, the late Leonid Kogan, offered some fascinating evidence of prenatal learning which he discovered after his son was born . Mr. Kogan told me that he practiced for one of his concerts while his pregnant wife was in the room with him. When his son was four years old and first began to learn the violin, he was able to play the melody Kogan had been practicing so many years ago without ever being taught the melody. He had listened to and learned the melody while in his mother's womb.
Another startling story is that of Susan Susedik, the oldest of the four Susedik sisters. She is said to have clearly spoken some of the words her mother used to repeat over and over to her while she was in the womb just two weeks after her birth.
Such testimonies tell us clearly that a fetus is a human being capable of experiencing emotion and retaining memories. The possibilities and the responsibilities this simple fact presents are mind-boggling and may very well cause major changes in our attitudes towards pregnancy, childbirth and education.
