wrs@charm.UUCP (William R. Softky) (02/05/85)
Subject: Litmus Test for Pro-Life Sincerity
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Distribution: net.abortion
I know that a lot of you out there believe firmly that human life begins
at conception, and you would like to establish that definition in law.
But before you make that definition into a law for everyone else-- or
even argue about it much more-- I would like to see how sincerely you
believe it and act on it yourselves.
The following questions should establish that... (if anyone can think of
more or better questions, please let me know). I know that these
questions will sound rhetorical; I'm sure they will offend many of you;
but please hear them through:
How many of you have held-- or even thought of holding-- funeral
services or Last Rites for an abortion?... For a stillbirth?... For a
miscarriage?... For the menstrual flow from The Pill?
Since The Pill does discharge fertilized ova in their first month,
how many of you have campaignd against *it* as actively as you campaign
against abortion? How many of you send monthly condolence cards to
women on the Pill? How many of you have taken it?
In short-- If you can indeed prove through your actions that you respect
and honor the life of a fetus (even in the first trimster) as much as
you honor an adult human life, then I respect your opinion. If not, then
I smell a double standard.
--Bill Softky
("Why aren't Born-Again Christians called Conceived-Again Christians?")garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson) (02/07/85)
> I know that a lot of you out there believe firmly that human life begins > at conception, and you would like to establish that definition in law. > But before you make that definition into a law for everyone else-- or > even argue about it much more-- I would like to see how sincerely you > believe it and act on it yourselves. > > How many of you have held-- or even thought of holding-- funeral > services or Last Rites for an abortion?... For a stillbirth?... For a > miscarriage?... Funeral services are expensive (I don't even want a funeral for myself). The church I attend doesn't have "Last Rites." But women who have had abortions, stillbirths, and miscarriages do experience (in some cases) the same type of grief as mothers who have lost a child after birth; this grief must be dealt with through something which takes the place of a funeral. The women I know who have had miscarriages say, "I lost my baby," and have to resolve their grief just as if the baby had died after birth. Would anyone like to discuss the emotional effects of an abortion on the woman who has one? I would like to know, and I think it would be a welcome change to the group. > For the menstrual flow from The Pill? > Since The Pill does discharge fertilized ova in their first month, I thought The Pill acted by preventing ovulation. But in either case, I can't campaign against everything I don't like, so I have to choose things where I think there is a possibility of having an effect. > In short-- If you can indeed prove through your actions that you respect > and honor the life of a fetus (even in the first trimster) as much as > you honor an adult human life, then I respect your opinion. If not, then > I smell a double standard. No doubt none of us are completely free of double standards; but that's why "standards" are also called "ideals" -- something to reach for, though a lifetime may not be enough to attain it. > --Bill Softky > ("Why aren't Born-Again Christians called Conceived-Again Christians?") That gave me a chuckle. I suppose it would be difficult to identify the moment of conception-again. Gary Samuelson ittvax!bunker!garys
plunkett@rlgvax.UUCP (S. Plunkett) (02/07/85)
> --Bill Softky: > How many of you have held-- or even thought of holding-- funeral > services or Last Rites for an abortion?... For a stillbirth?... For a > miscarriage?... For the menstrual flow from The Pill? > Since The Pill does discharge fertilized ova in their first month, > how many of you have campaignd against *it* as actively as you campaign > against abortion? How many of you send monthly condolence cards to > women on the Pill? How many of you have taken it? > In short-- If you can indeed prove through your actions that you respect > and honor the life of a fetus (even in the first trimster) as much as > you honor an adult human life, then I respect your opinion. If not, then > I smell a double standard. All this is nonsense. The difference between involuntary abortion and abortion-on-demand is more important than the similarity, because the difference is a moral one, whereas the similarity is merely empirical and problematical. (Problematical in that although it is known zygotes can be destroyed by natural processes, it is not always known when; there is no such question in the deliberate removal of a viable fetus.) By the implied empirical standard the above writer is trying to foist onto anti-abortion advocates, it is the net effect that should govern our behaviour. That is, the death penalty cannot be given, we cannot go to war to protect liberty, we cannot even defend ourselves against immediate deadly threat; that human life is to be honored above all other considerations. All of this is bosh, as it is not simply a question of life vs. death, it is also who does what to whom and why? So it is that we should honor not merely human life, but innocent human life. A fetus is necessarily innocent. And should innocent human life be taken notwithstanding this protection, it would ordinarily indicate an even greater need to protect what life already exists. ..{ihnp4,seismo}!rlgvax!plunkett
dbrown@watarts.UUCP (Dave Brown) (02/19/85)
> > --Bill Softky > > ("Why aren't Born-Again Christians called Conceived-Again Christians?") Because Jesus used the words born again. Sincerely yours, DAVE BROWN