psuvm%cjc@psuvax.UUCP (03/10/84)
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The question as I see it is: do we, as a society, decide to guarantee
the existence and wellbeing of the fetus to a higher level than we
now guarantee to living children? We do not protect many thousands of
children from severe, sometimes fatal abuse; we do not protect many
from prostitution; we do not protect them from the hardships of
poverty. Even with a greatly increased use of resources, we could not
guarantee these protections without a (probably unacceptable) level of
interference with the "rights" of parents.
Passing a law prohibiting abortion without devoting the resources
to enforce it would be as pointless as prohibiting marihuana or 'driving
under the influence', and would further increase disregard for law and
custom; but enforcing it would use resources that, I think, are more
needed elsewhere. Consider: illegal abortions were frequently punished
with the death penalty, but women still had them.
Carolyn Clark
(newcomer to this discussion, sorry if I repeat)