From: mills@uga.edu (Kathi Mills)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: Observations
Date: 1 Sep 92 07:30:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Georgia Economics Department

> Stevens
>> Sarah McCabe
>>> Stevens

>>>Turn it around.  Explain (without the use of any belief system) how an
>>>abortion is objectively a responsbile decision.

Let's take my abortion, which was typical in many ways, as an example.
If I had not aborted, the following would probably have happened:

1.  I would have died.  Pregnancy is strongly contraindicated for women who
    have had epilieptic seizures; the more severe the seizures, the more
    strongly pregnancy is contraindicated.  I had two grand mal seizures
    (the worst possible kind) within 7 monnths of becoming pregnant.

2.  If I didn't die, there would have been a high risk of permt health   
    damage.

3.  I had no health insurance and no money.  Therefore the fetus, which
    was already at grave risk of health problems due to the seizure-connntrol
    medication I had beenn on, the fact that I had consumed alcohol and
    over-the counnter drugs before I knnew I was pregnant, would not have
    received ANY prenatal care.  That factor alone increases the risk of
    premature birth, and therefore health problems, significantly.

4.  I would have been unable to complete my (barely started) college education,
    therefore dooming me to a life of low-paying service sector occupations in
    which most women now work.  Thus, I would not have achieved my full
    creative and intellectual potential, snd would nnot have served society as
    well as I do now.

5.  I would have had to go onn welfare to survive, since I had only a high
    school education, little job history, and non particular job skills.

6.  I would have given birth to a child I didn't want, and with my temper,
    lack of education (at that point), and history of abuse, I would probably
    have abused it.

7.  My SO and the father of the child, being a responsible personn, offerred
    to drop out of school and support us.  Thus he would have ruined his
    own life as well, since he also had few job skills and little experience.
    Even now, 2 years out of college, he has yet to find a good job, annd it
    is nnnot due to lack of trying.

Thus, by choosinng to abort, I benefited society by living to become an 
educated, taxpaying, civic minded citizen annd developinng real job skills;
I benefited taxpayers by nnot going on welfare; I benefited my SO by makinng
it possible for him to complete his education; and I benefited myself by
preservinng my life and health and making my life worth living.  Still
wonder how abortion can be a "responsible decision"?

>>I don't think it is an unreasonable request to ask that those
>>who are trying legislate what actions I may take with my own body
>>base that legislation on something more than "because I say so."

>?????  But that is JUST what YOU are doing.  You are trying to make
>the right to abortion a law on the basis of "because I say so".

Bullshit.  We HAVE MADE the ability to choose abortion a right because we
understand the consequences whenn this right is denied.  And we are in NO
way, shape, or form attempting to legislate "what actions [YOU] may take
with [YOUR] own body."

>You DO NOT occupy the moral high ground here.  You too are trying to
>force your belief system on others.

You can keep making this absurd claim all you want, but that doesnn't make
it any more true than the first time you said it.

>>If you are not trying to enact legislation that would limit
>>the availability of abortion, than please ignore my request, for
>>I wouldn't dream of trying to play the role of Thought Police and
>>dictate what people must believe.

>Of COURSE not.  All you want to do is try to force people to believe
>that a fetus is not a human being, and should not have human rights.

We DON'T force anyone to believe anythinng.  Really, how could we "force"
anyone to believe anythinng anyway?

>I have as much right to enforce my belief system on you, as you do
>to enforce yours on me.

Which is none, and yours is the only group trying to FORCE anyone into
anythinng.  We merely advocate giving womenn the CHOICE to abort, nnot
FORCINNG them to abort.  You, onn the other hand, wish to FORCE womenn
to bear children they do nnot want to bear.

-- 
"A woman voting for a Republican is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders."

Ferrari (mills@rolf.stat.uga.edu)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion