re: #266 prononymous

Inanimate doesn’t mean without sentience. Do you think that those cells are literally dead until then?

Bear in mind that unless you’re one of the “Chazal said it, I believe it, and that settles it” sorts of people, the Talmud deals in law, rather than strict scientific fact. “As water” does not mean it’s abiotic, I would argue, it means that legally, it is not considered as a developing child would be.