Organization: Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Monday, 24 Aug 1992 20:00:55 EST
From: Linda Birmingham <ADMN8647@RyeVm.Ryerson.Ca>
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: KILLfile created to prevent flamewar
 <oqnbvq8@fido.asd.sgi.com>

In article <oqnbvq8@fido.asd.sgi.com> CJ Silverio
>
>In article <1992Aug19.191054.24902@crd.ge.com>, cook@sunloan.crd.ge.com writes:
>|cj@eno.wpd.sgi.com (C J Silverio) writes:
>||>Wise move, and one that will greatly help your peace of mind.
>||>That debate would be just as stupid in reruns as it was the
>||>first time.
>
>|Many of us did not find the debate, nor the topic thereof, to be
>|"stupid".  I think it would be highly unrealistic to deny that
>|there are those in the abortion rights movement who feel great
>|resentment over people who wish to restrict abortion rights, as
>|well as those who feel great resentment over people who wish to
>|have unrestricted abortion rights.

[...]

>The debate also reminded me that this is essentially a political
>issue, a political fight.  Some people on my side don't seem to
>want to play politics.  I dislike politics, but I'm willing to
>play the game to preserve my life.  I'm willing to compromise,
>as a purely political move, on less important issues in order to
>preserve the rights I consider most important.

It would appear Ms. Silverio that you and others are willing
to compromise the rights of women less fortunate than you.
The poor, the disadvantaged, the vulnerable.

Every compromise provides a foothold to remove one more
right.  Women are deemed incapable of making the most
profound personal choice and as a result intrusions into
other aspects of their lives will continue to be
tolerated and permitted.

Your profession isn't at risk from fetal protection laws,
at least not yet.  Lets just hope some corporate or
government bureaucrat doesn't decide that programming is
a threat to future offspring.

>Some people on my side, I learned, are not.

What I learned was that there are a number of people
in this newsgroup who pay lip service to the right of
bodily autonomy.  Who bray loudly about personal
freedom, yet are willing to negotiate freedom away.

>The lessons were political & personal, for me.

Perhaps it would be better if people stopped viewing
abortion as political and personal.  Perhaps it would
be better if people accepted that women are capable
of making this decision themselves and everyone
who claims to be prochoice should support all women,
not just those in similar circumstances as oneself.

>I've got misogynist maniacs to worry
>about-- people who'd cheerfully ban abortions for victims of
>rape and for women whose lives are endangered.

The misogynist maniacs do more to discredit themselves
than any one else.  They are not the people that will
create laws or form governments.  It is the people who
wish to enshrine fetal personhood that will do the
greatest damage to women's rights.  Their impact will
reach farther than restricting a woman's option of abortion.

>My energy goes
>to thwarting THOSE menaces to my life & health.

The woman who is menaced is the woman who doesn't
have a bank account.  The woman who is threatened is
the one who requires time to arrange transportation
and child care.  The woman who is endangered is the
one that must obtain parental consent. The woman who
is stigmaitzed is the one who will require abortions
that are criminalized.

My energy goes to helping these woman protect their
lives and health.



Linda
--
"The decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is
 essentially a moral decision and in a free and democratic
 society the conscience of the individual must be
 paramount to that of the state" Justic B. Wilson
Newsgroups: talk.abortion,alt.flame