mat@hou4b.UUCP (09/01/84)
We have something that's going to turn into a human being. The
human being will be too troublesome to have around. Quick! Kill it before
anyone realizes what's happening!
Yes, the human embryo has a habit of becoming something that any
one of us would recognize as a human being. It doesn't become human by
being sprinkled with fairy dust or by any intervention by any outside agency.
It has all that human-being-ness stored inside. But then how can you say it
is less than human?
``When next you hear some attack called an idle paradox, ask
after the dox. Ask how long the dox has been in the world; how
many have believed in the dox; how often the dox has proved itself
right in practice; how often thoughtful men have returned to the
dox on theory. Pursue the dox; persecute the dox. In short,
ask the dox whether it is orthodox.''
-Gilbert Keith Chesterton
I suppose that if you believe that human life is infinitely precious
and sacred IN, FOR, AND OF ITSELF then destruction of a human being that is
being formed is a horrible act. On the other hand, if a sentient human life
is something to be protected only because you and your friends are sentient
human beings, then the utilitarian notion that full sentience is a necessary
condition of humanity is a natural consequence.
I weep.
--
from Mole End Mark Terribile
(scrape .. dig ) hou5d!mat
,.. .,, ,,, ..,***_*. (soon hou4b!mat)rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (09/14/84)
> We have something that's going to turn into a human being. The > human being will be too troublesome to have around. Quick! Kill it before > anyone realizes what's happening! > Yes, the human embryo has a habit of becoming something that any > one of us would recognize as a human being. It doesn't become human by > being sprinkled with fairy dust or by any intervention by any outside agency. > It has all that human-being-ness stored inside. But then how can you say it > is less than human? Embryos have "a habit of becoming something that any one of us would recognize as a human being" in the womb which is an organ inside the body of a female human being. If the female human being does not wish it to be inside the womb inside her body, and she chooses to remove it, and other people feel that this embryo with this "habit" should be brought to term to fulfill its potential to do that "becoming" which you describe, then these other people certainly have the right to take this embryo and bring it to term, perhaps in their own bodies. They could then take responsibility for the embryo (with its "habit" of becoming a human being), which is no longer a part of the woman from whose body it came. We would foolish to deny these people these rights to take care of these embryos and their habits. -- Occam's Razor: I liked it so much, I bought the company! Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr
rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (09/15/84)
> We have something that's going to turn into a human being. The > human being will be too troublesome to have around. Quick! Kill it before > anyone realizes what's happening! > Yes, the human embryo has a habit of becoming something that any > one of us would recognize as a human being. It doesn't become human by > being sprinkled with fairy dust or by any intervention by any outside agency. > It has all that human-being-ness stored inside. But then how can you say it > is less than human? Embryos have "a habit of becoming something that any one of us would recognize as a human being" in the womb which is an organ inside the body of a female human being. If the female human being does not wish it to be inside the womb inside her body, and she chooses to remove it, and other people feel that this embryo with this "habit" should be brought to term to fulfill its potential to do that "becoming" which you describe, then these other people certainly have the right to take this embryo and bring it to term, perhaps in their own bodies. They could then take responsibility for the embryo (with its "habit" of becoming a human being), which is no longer a part of the woman from whose body it came. We would foolish to deny these people these rights to take care of these embryos and their habits. -- WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Rich Rosen WHAT IS YOUR NET ADDRESS? pyuxn!rlr WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF ASSYRIA? I don't know that ... ARGHHHHHHHH!