In your OP you said, "So, what does science say on the matter?" You also appealed to scientific authority when you repeat "Geneticists of respected DNA science..." several times in your OP. You used the root word "science" 27 times in your post. I take that all to mean you are basing your argument on science and the opinion of scientists.
On the contrary, honesty is important in science. Citing scientific sources is critical in scientific arguments so that the reader can evaluate how the author (you) uses the information, and where the author got the information. If you did not get your citation from the Wiki article, which is almost a verbatim excerpt of your criteria, then just where did you get the seven criteria that you used to determine if an entity is alive? That is very important if anyone is to evaluate your discussion. Then we can decide if you are practicing sophistry or not.
Read my post # 15. That is where I discuss my motivation:
"Please be aware that I am not arguing an ethical issue, I am arguing a scientific issue -- an errant interpretation."
To expand on that, ethically, I think the more than 50 million abortions that occurred since Roe vs. Wade is tragic and the most unfortunate form of birth control. However, genuine science distinguishes ethical and religious believes from scientific understanding. That is imperative to maintain the integrity of science.
