trash@oliveb.UUCP (Tom Repa) (10/06/86)
> Xref: hplabs talk.religion.misc:403 talk.abortion:76 >= Mike Berkley >>= Tom Repa (me) >>Does "wanting the best for others" mean forcing your opinions of what >>is best for them on them? > > I believe that you ARE free to choose what is best for you, however > with every choice there are consequences. If you decide that it is > in your best interests to rob a bank, then you are free to do so. > However, there are consequences to that action. Those consequences > are enforced by society to protect the innocent. > > Having sex makes you responsible for the consequences. Having > an abortion is only an attempt to lessen the natural consequences > of that act. Unfortunately, this involves the life of the one person > who is not guilty of anything: the baby. "wanting the best for > others" means wanting the best for the child, not cutting him or > her off from life before birth. Thus society should try to protect > this innocent little one. My interpretation of "wanting the best for others" is a more holistic concept then yours, I guess. This means wanting the best for both woman and !baby. This "innocent little one" doesn't exist for some people. Personally I don't believe in immortal souls, per say, but rather that conciousness is a function of neural complexity. I don't believe in a "divine spark of life" or "imago deo"(sp?). If you do believe in this "innocent little one", wouldn't you want the child to grow up in the best home possible? This means with a father, with parents who want to be with each other (and their child) out of love, and the finacial security to provide a stable homelife? You see, I'm not just talking about the quality of life and the pursuit of happiness of the mother, but of the entire family. I am of couse presuming that the woman and man are using birth controls. > So what about the mother and her rights? In my opinion, she chose > to forgo those rights when she chose to have sex. She should abide by > the consequences of her decision. If she decides to abort her baby, > then she chooses another set of consequences, far worse than carrying > the baby to term. I'm not talking about "Eternal" consequences, but > consequences right now: guilt and remorse, sterility, etc.,etc. Arn't you making some overly broad assumtions? Do you remember the movie "The Big Chill"?: "So here I sit, on my ticking biological clock, and the only thing I know for sure is that I want to have a baby." (sidelong glance from Glenn Close (sp?)) "Don't remind me. It probably, no it WAS the right thing to do at the time." The implications are clear: she had an abortion in college, went on become success in her profession, and now wants a child (but not a husband). I see this as the height of good sense. The world doesn't need more unwanted children, or unwanted pregnancies. As for arguments of the type "but couldn't she at least carry the baby to term..." I don't even think they should be considered unless the come from a women. And with the advances coming from embryonic research, even some normally sterile women and men can have children. That is of course unless the Fundies outlaw this research because it's killing even more !babies. I think a lot of women would agree with this scene. As for sterility, modern abortions are relitively safe. Yes, relatively. Any invasive procedure is dangerous. But don't you think this says something about the women who are willing to risk it? They don't want the pregnancy! > Do I sound high and mighty? Yes. What right do I have to dictate > what is right and wrong? None. But the truth still does not change. > I am not going to force anything upon an unwed mother, but abortion > is not the "best" thing to do for the baby or for the mother. I agree. But in order to remain a free society, rather than a theocracy, we must allow them the option. Hopefully soon we will more effective birth controls for both partners, to the end that no one ever needs an abortion. Tom Repa(trash@oliven) -- Have you ever noticed how much they look like orchids? Beautiful!! Path: {allegra,glacier,hplabs,ihnp4}!oliveb!oliven!trash