saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (02/17/84)
Since I've only heard one dissenting voice so far, I'd like to continue my monologue while I've got things going my way (i.e I don't have to get on the defensive about my opinion yet) I also want to save some flame-throwers some trouble, so to keep people from guessing, I will state my opinion on the topic: I am a completely pro-choice person even though what some of what I will say will sound at times as though I am a pro-life one ( ACTUALLY, I also happen to be pro-life: I like life, I wouldn't give it away for anything in the world). The reason things I will say might sound anti-choice at times is because I think that no matter how much I disagree with their conclusions on the matter, I think they do have some very valid arguments on the matter. What I want to do is to get people to "think" about the whole matter. By this I am not saying that emotions are not important in all of this, because the whole abortion topic is about emotions, I am just saying that this topic is an issue one can also think about because it reveals a lot about ourselves and our philosophy. I think that anti-choice people can read what I will have to say, agree with me, but still not change their minds on how they feel about the topic. What they will gain from it is an understanding that they are basing their choice on emotions, not on reason. They can also not agree with what I have to say and put forth arguments more convincing then mine, in which case I will agree with them, but not change my feelings on what I believe in, but at least I will know that my beliefs are not rooted in logic but are emotional. There is a whole spectrum in between of people who have semi-logical and semi-emotional arguments about the whole topic. Maybe this will clarify some things for them. So I would like this discussion to be viewed more as an self-exploratory experiment rather than a flame war since this has proved in the past (so I've heard) to be completely unproductive. More wishes: It would be nice if people admitted that they change their minds on things. I personnally don't understand what is so wrong about changing one's mind. Many things are very complex (or maybe I am very simple) and their are many different ways of looking at things. There is nothing wrong with admitting that there are different perspectives on most things because that's the truth. I was quite bitchy to the person who attacked my assertion about society controlling women (you haven't heard the last of THAT one yet!) because in the same message he was snickering because I had changed my mind on some topic based on something Dave Martindale had said. He sneered something like "what else are you going to change your mind on?" and I took that to be an intended personal insult. I did not see it as an insult, but I could see that he meant it to discredit everything I would say in the future since I am "fickle". (Speak for yourself, you, if I misinterpreted you) Anyway, being able to change their minds is definitely something I think more people should change their minds on. Enough preambles! I will get on about abortion in my next article. I hope you are not expecting too much from this based on what I have just said, because there is a great chance you might be disappointed. Sophie Quigley watmath!saquigley