Pro-life leader responds to Bill Nye's claim that fertilized eggs 'are not humans'

Bill Nye appears in a screen capture of a video from Big Think. | YouTube/Big Think

A pro-life leader with a background in biomedical science has responded Bill Nye's video in which he asserted that "fertilized eggs are not humans."

In a video originally recorded by Nye in 2015, Nye argued that laws should be informed by scientific facts and said that the notion that fertilized egg is human reflects a "deep lack of scientific understanding."

Nye went on to say that human life does not occur until the fertilized egg is implanted in the wall of the mother's uterus.

The popular children's TV show host had expressed frustration about the assertion that fertilized eggs have the same rights as an individual. "It's hard not to get frustrated with this. Nobody likes abortion. But you can't tell somebody what to do," he said, according to Breitbart News.

The video recently made the rounds on social media again after it was re-edited, re-formatted and posted by the progressive video site Big Think.

David Bereit, an advisor and former board member for Students for Life, has made a response video in which he challenged Nye's actual scientific knowledge.

"You began by stating your opinion that fertilized eggs are not human yet," said Bereit, before quoting the American College of Pediatricians, a conservative group.

"The scientific facts from the American College of Pediatricians state, and I quote, 'The predominance of human biological research confirms that human life begins at conception/fertilization,'" he said.

Bereit, who has received an undergraduate degree in biomedical science and had experience in the medical science field before becoming a pro-life advocate, went on to say, "[w]hen a human egg is fertilized by a human sperm, a new human being is created."

The pro-life leader went on to challenge Nye's stance that human life requires implantation in the uterine wall.

"If you really believe that, you would clearly oppose abortions occurring after implantation, which is nearly all abortions," he said, noting that Nye went on instead to advocate for abortion and criticize people who wanted to protect the "lives implanted in their mother's uterine walls."

Bereit agreed with Nye that most people do not like abortion and encouraged him to listen to women who had suffered from trauma after undergoing the procedure.

Nye had sparked controversy last year after he asked whether parents should be punished for having "extra kids."

During a panel discussion on his Netflix series "Bill Nye Saves the World," the TV host and other panelists talked about how they think large families and population growth are affecting the world.

Nye began the show by describing how humans use natural resources, while panelists discussed family planning and women's health care. At one point, Nye reportedly asked if policies should be implemented to penalize people for having extra kids.

While some have praised the first season of Nye's show, many have criticized it for being too provocative and biased. The first season of the show had reportedly received a dismal score of 4.4 out of 10 on IMDB.