NOT TOO LONG AGO in a discussion about abortion, I heard an “abortion on demand” proponent use the word “zygote” to describe the human life that grows inside a womb. This was, of course, a life she was advocating be extinguished based solely on the choice of the mother.

I was momentarily puzzled. It was a word I recalled from Botany 201 during my sophomore year in college, but I had to look it up for the precise context:

“A zygote is a diploid cell formed when two gamete cells are joined by means of sexual reproduction.”

Simply put, it is a fertilized egg. During a child’s 38-week gestation period, the time spent as a zygote is a few days, at best.

That being the case, it is curious that this term would be extended to well beyond its actual defined time frame of existence. It quickly became clear that the word was being used, not to define reality, but rather to deny it.

Of course, one can discuss killing, or eliminating, a zygote far more easily than one can admit that they have no compunction about taking a human life — while simultaneously asking you, the taxpayer, to pay for it.

The recent flurry of videos about “Planned” Parenthood, released to the public by the Center for Medical Progress, has revealed the true inhumanity of this organization in such a way that is shocking to those who value human lives.

Naturally, those defending Planned Parenthood are outraged that the organization has been caught. This is reflected in their desperation to deflect the true ugliness of what the group has been doing for years.

One will recall the 2013 trial of Kermit Gosnell, the “doctor” with a penchant for late-term abortions. At the time, the abortion-on-demand crowd repeatedly told all who would listen that Gosnell was an aberration in the field of extinguishing human life. The practice appalled them and was unacceptable, or so they said.

Today we know better; they lied. Planned Parenthood has for years been in the business of performing late-term abortions — and then selling the fetal organs for research or other purposes.

We know this because the Center for Medical Progress videos indicate that those involved — I hesitate to refer to them as doctors, as it diminishes the profession — were contemplating the maximization of value for the resultant tissues from the former “zygotes.”

As the organization implodes under the withering light of the ongoing public outcry, Planned Parenthood has, perhaps unwittingly, shed some light on how we can reach a compromise on the question of abortion.

Both sides are, of course, well entrenched.

One side advocates “anytime, anywhere.” The result is the Kermit Gosnells of the world, as well as the maximization of fetal tissue value. It has also resulted in statistics like this: more black babies in New York City are being aborted than born.

The other side: “No way, no how!” The result being the darkness of illegal abortion mills and death for many young, scared victims.

Neither of the above are, or should be, acceptable in any society. So two questions arise: Can a middle ground can be reached? And when does life actually begin: at the zygote stage, or only after viability?

As we consider these questions, no organization can shed more light on fetal development than Planned Parenthood, the preferred abortionists of the abortion-on-demand crowd.

There is a point in the development of a fetus between formation of a zygote (week 1-2) and development of a viable baby that is well defined in medical stages, and now possibly in terms of commercial value, as well. It would appear that the abortion industry, with abject disregard for life, sees the fetus as a cash crop. Yes, I know, they say they are “recovering costs” — then why the bargaining for more money? Perhaps those at Planned Parenthood can share their experience in this regard, as they undoubtedly value human life.

Wait, that was a poor choice of words; they value human organs from recently extinguished human life. Fifty dollars for a liver, $100 for a kidney, $75 for a lung, etc.

One wonders; at what stage of fetal development do the organs attain the minimum size required to fetch the preferred market price? Planned Parenthood should know this number based on performing over 300,000 abortions a year.

Can those who favor “abortion on demand” acknowledge that the killing of viable babies is an unacceptable act? If a woman seeks to not bring a zygote developing inside of her to full term, should she not be asked to make up her mind in a reasonable time frame?

And has Planned Parenthood not essentially defined when that human life has value to them as a sellable item? Would it be unreasonable to then say that after that point in time, the performance of an abortion simply becomes destruction of human life?

There are no easy answers to the issues surrounding abortion, and to most there are justifiable circumstances for abortions.

But the horrors we have seen — from Kermit Gosnell to the selling of human fetal tissue being discussed openly over a glass of merlot — are unacceptable.

As long as abortion-on-demand proponents occupy the White House or hold controlling power in Washington, we likely will not see an investigation into Planned Parenthood. We could, however, see an investigation into those who have attempted to demonstrate to all the evil within that organization.

As a side note: It is interesting to see where Planned Parenthood is spending its campaign contributions. Since 2000 they have donated $129,000 to Republicans and $2,375,000 to Democrats.

Though the demands for a criminal investigation into Planned Parenthood are growing louder, they will never be loud enough to convince the extremists defending this group to allow one to proceed. Which means that $2.3 million in payoffs — oops, I mean “contributions” — may be paying some dividends.

Dennis Lund is a mechanical engineer who lived in Benicia for more than 20 years.