jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (04/29/84)
Are women human? The answer to this question, as I read it from the discussions here, is "Yes, but only second class human." Most discussions center on the right of the fetus, or is the fetus human? The right of a woman over her body is ignored most of the time. Women are required to carry their pregnancies to term, whether they choose to do so or not. Obviously, there is no comparable requirement for men. Those who wish to impose their moral values on pregnant women, are imposing a second class human status on women. They do so by trying to limit the ability of a woman to control her body. The answer to the question: "is the fetus a human?" depends more on one's definition than on scientific evidence. If society decides that the fetus is a human, and therefore should be saved, then society is committing a crime by not making an effort to provide an artificial environment for the fetus to develop outside the woman's womb. Science is at stage where an artificial womb could be a reality. The pro-lifers don't seem to be interested in this approach, they want the easy way to solve their moral dilemma. They want to do so over the woman's body. They denigrate women who abort their fetuses, condemning them as murderers, while they make no effort to find a scientific solution to save the fetuses. I think woman are human, first class human like everybody else in our society. They should not be downgraded to a second class status! -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho
jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (04/30/84)
Are woman human? The answer to this question, as I read it from the discussions here, is "Yes, but only second class human." Most discussion center on the right of the fetus, or is the fetus human? The right of a woman over her body is ignored most of the time. Women are required to carry their pregnancies to term, whether they choose to do so or not. Obviously, there is no comparable requirement for men. Those who wish to impose their moral values on pregnant women, are imposing a second class human status on women. They do so by trying to limit the ability of a woman to control her body. The answer to the question: "is the fetus a human?" depends more on one's definition than on scientific evidence. If society decides that the fetus is a human, and therefore should be saved, then society is committing a crime by not making an effort to provide an artificial environment for the fetus to develop outside the woman's womb. Science is at stage where an artificial womb could be a reality. The pro-lifers don't seem to be interested in this approach, they want the easy way to solve their moral dilemma. They want to do so over the woman's body. They denigrate women who abort their fetuses, condemning them as murderers, while they make no effort to find a scientific solution to save the fetuses. I think woman are human, first class human like everybody else in our society. They should not be downgraded to a second class status! -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho