dr_who@umcp-cs.UUCP (07/06/83)
From: randy@umcp-cs Have any of you ever met an adult American who is unsure ... whether the state should be protecting supposed rights of the unborn ([as opposed to] whether they would have an abotion)? Yes--me! Although I have an opinion now (which I still have a few doubts about), I have been undecided in the past. I've changed my position on this question (namely, should the state protect ...) twice since I was 18. (What does being 18 have to do with it, you ask? Not much, but Randy specifies "an adult American" in the quotation above.) My present position is importantly different from either of my previous ones. Another person I've met who seems to be unsure is my roommate of last year. I think Randy and I would agree that neither side's arguments have been the slightest bit convincing. But I still think that something useful can be said (by me, of course!) about the issue--an explanation of why the standard arguments are question-begging, and an indication of what the arguments ought to be addressing. I'm working on it. -- Paul Torek, U of MD, College Park