hua@cmu-cs-gandalf.ARPA (Ernest Hua) (02/18/85)
THIS IS AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING ARTICLE. (Should give you an idea about everything in general. No guarantee, of course.) ******************************************************************** FIRST: What do we use as the foundations for discussion? Is it practical considerations? Is it moral considerations? Please understand that a compromise is extremely difficult! If we use practical considerations, the pro-choice side will easily win since enforcement of an anti-abortion law will lead to more illegal abortions and further endanger women who cannot get doctors to say that the fetus threatens their life or convince judges that they were raped. (Of course, this will be even worse should an ABSOLUTE anti-abortion law be passed.) Doctors will probably lies significantly more to help patients get abortions. If we use moral considerations, the pro-life side will easily win since the abortion kills a potential human being. Note that a child underaged is not a "full" human being. The law certainly does not recognize that! This does NOT prevent the law from protecting a child! This should NOT prevent the law from protecting the fetus! (I would personally go for the practical choice.) SECOND: Decide which we want to use from "FIRST" before further dis- cussion on the topic itself! ******************************************************************** Keebler
dbrown@watarts.UUCP (Dave Brown) (02/20/85)
> THIS IS AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING ARTICLE. (Should give you an idea about > everything in general. No guarantee, of course.) > > ******************************************************************** > > FIRST: What do we use as the foundations for discussion? Is it > practical considerations? Is it moral considerations? > Please understand that a compromise is extremely difficult! > > If we use practical considerations, the pro-choice side will > easily win since enforcement of an anti-abortion law will > lead to more illegal abortions and further endanger women > who cannot get doctors to say that the fetus threatens their > life or convince judges that they were raped. (Of course, > this will be even worse should an ABSOLUTE anti-abortion law > be passed.) Doctors will probably lies significantly more > to help patients get abortions. > > If we use moral considerations, the pro-life side will easily > win since the abortion kills a potential human being. Note > that a child underaged is not a "full" human being. The law > certainly does not recognize that! This does NOT prevent the > law from protecting a child! This should NOT prevent the law > from protecting the fetus! > > (I would personally go for the practical choice.) > > SECOND: Decide which we want to use from "FIRST" before further dis- > cussion on the topic itself! > > ******************************************************************** > > Keebler Humm. This seems to be the whole problem of abortion. The two sides, I call them sides regretably, are arguing from these two divergent view points. Alas, to decide on arguing from a view point without taking into account the other is unrealistic and quite uncomplimentary to either woman or fetus(I use this term to account for both viewpoints; I happen to be anti-abortion on demand). It would be nice if society could agree on the viewpoint being used, but we live in a multi-dimensional world, in which there are many influences upon any ethical decision. Let me give you an example of a subject which has many viewpoints: Subject: WWII Viewpoints to evaluate from: AMERICAN G.I. BRITISH CITIZEN GERMAN CITIZEN RUSSIAN CITIZEN Note: these are not all the view points. JAPANESE-CANADIAN (interned) SWEDISH DIPLOMAT CANADIAN POLITICIAN ITALIAN CO-LABORATTOR FRENCH RESISTANCE FIGHTER Which is right? Really none of them, because they all experienced different situations. Each of them must be taken into account when writing a history of the war. So who is right in the abortion question? That's what this net is for. Just take in all accounts. Sincerely yours, DAVE BROWN ============================================================================== WHO SAID HISTORY IS IRRELEVANT? ==============================================================================