lipman@decwrl.UUCP (03/01/84)
From: squirt::arndt
From: SMURF::ARNDT 1-MAR-1984 14:38
To: SQUIRT::ARNDT
Subj: abor
Please don't "n" me until you've looked over my last time around on
this subject. Thanks.
Dear friends (I hope) and fellow pilgrims on net. women. It is not my
purpose or pleasure to argue interminally on the topic of abortion.
But I have asked an honest question and I feel that I have not received
a worthy answer.
My question simply put is: What is different about human biological life
in the womb from that of a life nine months plus one day outside the womb
that allows for the killing of the former for reasons that don't (yet)
apply to the later? For example: not being wanted.
A few long suffering souls have tired of the discussion and I am inclined
to agree with them since I can't seem to engage anyone in what I think
is a serious dialogue. I heartly agree that name calling and such is
unworthy of our time. I would point out however that just because there
IS discussion going on doesn't mean that we can't show weights of evidence
for one side or the other and come to a decision based on that evidence.
It is the reasonable evidence that I am trying to give and get. Not every
opinion has equal force of reason.
I had hoped to appeal to a common ground for us all (reason) and start from
there. I agree that appeals to different starting points gets us nowhere.
For example, "mind"," consciousness", or "soul" are dificult to define and
besides it seems to me there really is no need to appeal to them to decide
what constitutes human biological life, when it starts, and what makes it
worthy of protection.
I did receive answers from people who I think confused PARTS of a human
body with a human body - cancer cells, etc. No such cell or group of cells
left to themselves would continue to grow and one day become and adult.
Ergo, it seems to me surgical removal of cancer,etc. is not the same.
Is a zygote or embryo part of the woman's body? Not entirely. Remember
that old sperm? Would it be fair to say that 50% of the thing is part
of the father's body that is only nurtured by the women? If we look at
the biological process as a whole (any reason we shouldn't?) we can see
some reproduction taking place outside the mother's body and some in.
If a woman produced the whole thing herself the arguement would be
stronger, but she doesn't. She only nurtures it in her body. Then again
if she layed an egg like some animals do the argument would be weaker.
One last time folks, the wall upon which the pro-abortion argument breaks
is trying to come up with a difference for the human life in the womb.
And make no mistake, the burden of proof IS upon THEM because it can be
demonstrated beyond doubt that the child comes from the womb!
I know there's magic in a woman's body, but I don't believe traveling
down the birth canal makes a person a person.
If people can't give a solid reason why killing a fetus is different then
what happens to me when my kids find me a "social burden" when I'm sitting
on the front porch wetting my pants. Why can't they kill me? Did you see
the notes on net.women already suggesting we might have to do this in the
future? This is a people issue as well as a woman's issue and we'd better
be sure we know what we are talking about or else get on the board that
decides who lives and who dies for the greater glory of mankind.
Do you see what I am saying? If your head is on the block, as it will be
if you live long enough to become infirm or have an accident that reduces
your "quality of life" enough, what do you say after they say its ok to kill
you because we can kill life in the womb and show us a difference in you
that makes you worthy of saving. All the reasons that justify abortion
can be used against you if you can't show the difference.
Finally, God help us if we do decide abortion is murder. What have we done?
But is that a reason for not looking???
I challenged you on net.women to find a difference that stands the light of
reason and you huffed and puffed and couldn't. All I got were assumptions
that there is and a few attempts that showed little thought and some name
calling.
I think that little babies (even in the womb) are too beautiful to snuff out
for what appear to me to be basically selfish reasons.
"I mourn all aborted children for their fullness emptied,
for their beauty discarded, for their song unfinished,
for their dream stifled, for their hope unfulfilled."
If you truely have nothing to say let's move on to another topic.
Regards,
Ken Arndt