From: dking@raul.nas.nasa.gov (Dan King)
Subject: Re: Abortion vs. Adoption
Organization: Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Facility NASA
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 01:52:35 GMT
Reply-To: dking@raul.nas.nasa.gov (Dan King)


fo>In article <1992Sep7.165544.4000@sniap.mchp.sni.de> frank@D012S436.sniap.mchp.sni.de () writes:
dk>dking@raul.nas.nasa.gov (Dan King) writes:

dk>I guess you missed Kathi Mill's response to you earlier.  I just so
dk> happen to still have her response.  

fo>You know, it takes time for messages to get from all the way over
fo>there to all the way over here, and back again.  You'll find I have
fo>responded it.  Also bear in mind, I am *supposed* to be working 
fo>here....   :-)

Cool.

dk> So since Kathi says she feels fine, are you now pro-choice?  Or is there
dk> a reason why you would doubt her word?

fo>Firstly you (in common with many others) seem to have assumed that 
fo>I am what you label "pro-life", since I haven't openly condemned everything
fo>you label "pro-life", and nor have I openly supported everything
fo>which you label "pro-choice".  Could that be because I am trying
fo>to be open minded I wonder?  Do you have a label for that?  If it
fo>confuses you that I try to sometimes include aspects of both sides of 
fo>the argument in my posts, whose problem is that?

I just so happen to have a label for people with an open mind.  Pro-choice.

fo>The conclusion I would draw from Kathi saying she feels fine is that
fo>she knows a situation in which abortion is O.K..  Doesn't mean it's
fo>always O.K. (though it may be).  Means it's at least sometimes O.K.

I no longer have your post I was responding to.  As I remember it, you
said if there was one woman that felt O.K. about her own abortion
experience, then you would not consider abortion = murder.  Now I may
have assumed to much.  I may have assumed that at the time you did
believe abortion was murder.  All you asked for was one and Kathi
supplied you with the one example.  Could we at least now resolve
if you do or don't believe abortion=murder?

fo>Certainly, "Pro-choice" seems to include much more than I've understood 
fo>and accepted so far.  The notion that only the woman involved may decide for 
fo>example.  I've never understood why that should be, yet obviously lots of 
fo>people think it's central to the whole issue.  But societies don't delegate 
fo>all moral choices to the individual, and I can think of many other issues 
fo>where I'm positive that society is sensible not to.  What's different about
fo>this one?  

I can't speak for the pro-choice movement.  I can only speak for myself.  I 
believe abortion is different than other decisions that may effect others for 
a few reasons.  I think we should all have complete sovereignty over our 
own body.  We can voluntarily give up those rights, but the government can
not force uses of our body against our will.  I also oppose sex acts laws,
the military draft, and drug laws.  Law should be designed to resolve conflicts
between conflicting rights.  In the case of abortion, their is the right of
the fetus to life, versus the right of the woman to control her body.  For
societal reasons, I see the right of the woman to control her body as much
more compelling.  If we allow the government control over this right, I see
many dangers besides the one we are discussing here.  An argument that could
possibly change my mind is that if you convince me that the woman creates an
obligation to the fetus by having coitus sex.  I am not convinced of that,
but I am open to arguments.  
 
When a woman is faced with an unwanted pregnancy, the people that have a stake
to terminate or not would be, the woman, her doctor, the man, or the government.
Of those 4 choices, I see the one most qualified, and best able to make this
decision is the woman.   I see many dangers in leaving the decision to any
of the other 3.

dk> Dan King

fo>Another unfortunate name for puns :-)

No way.  Its a great name.  Thats why it doesn't need any fancy sigs.  It
just looks so cool sitting there all by its ownself.

fo>Frank O'Dwyer		       			Disclaimer: 

Dan King
Newsgroups: talk.abortion