From: mam@jcnpc.cmhnet.org (Mike A. McAngus)
Subject: Re: ABORTION: WHEN DOES HUMAN LIFE BEGIN?
Organization: Homebrew Virtual Reality Labs
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 21:49:58 GMT

mcelwre@cnsvax.uwec.edu wrote:
:
:
:                      ABORTION: WHEN DOES HUMAN LIFE BEGIN?
:
:                The debate about the abortion issue really boils down to
:           a question of when human life begins.

Yes, many people want to argue the debate around this "question".  However, I 
think the question is poorly formed.  I prefer the question "What constitutes 
personhood for the purposes of full protection under the laws?"  If the 
conceptum (a term used to describe the biological entity from conception upto
but not including birth) is deemed to be a person at any point prior to birth, 
then we have some real problems from the standpoint of Congressional 
Representation and IRS tax policy.

:                                                  Many "pro-lifers" are
:           fundamentalist Christians but are unable to quote any clear
:           statements from their Bible indicating that human life begins
:           at conception.  [And most of them, especially the Catholics,
:           are also against artificial birth control, which would
:           PREVENT the unwanted pregnancies to begin with!]  They are
:           apparently either ignorant of, or ignoring, GENESIS 2:7,
:           which states: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the
:           ground, and breathed into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE,
:           and man became a living Soul.".

There may be something to this.  From things I've read, the word translated as 
"Spirit" in many English language Bibles is also the Hebrew word for "Wind".

:                This Biblical statement indicates that human life begins
:           (Soul enters its new body) WHEN THE BODY TAKES ITS FIRST
:           BREATH OF AIR OUT-side THE WOMB.  Therefore, if an aborted
:           fetus's lungs are too undeveloped to breathe, or if an older
:           fetus is biologically terminated INside the womb, then that
:           abortion can NOT be called "murder", because NO Soul was
:           present in the fetus.
:
:
:                Another thing to consider is that each of us is
:           surrounded by a protective energy field usually called an
:           "AURA".  A few people, including the late Edgar Cayce, can
:           actually see colored AURAs around people.  The Canadian
:           scientist Frances Nixon developed a way to locate the boun-
:           daries of a person's AURA.

Oh no.  New age mysticism!

:                One of the AURA's main purposes is to shield out
:           discarnate entities from a person's body.  If an AURA becomes
:           weak, because of illness, injury, etc., discarnate entities
:           can sometimes invade and cause insanity, multiple personali-
:           ties, etc..
:
:                THE AURA OF A HEALTHY PREGNANT MOTHER WOULD LIKEWISE
:           PREVENT A SOUL FROM ENTERING THE FETUS INSIDE HER.

So are you saying that the new-born infant is weak and "discarnate entities" 
(whatever they are) enter hir body after birth (how many souls does the average 
person have)?  If these entities can"..invade and cause insanity, multiple 
personalities, etc..", then why aren't these personality disorders more
prevelant?

:                The purpose of laws in a free country like the United
:           States should be to protect INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM, and prevent
:           it from being violated by others, NOT to stifle it in the
:           name of power, control, exploitation, orthodox RELIGION, or
:           the money-god.  Any man-made law which fails that test is
:           automatically and immediately UN-Constitutional, null and
:           void.

Which laws not made by people fail the above test? :^)  Can the test be 
codified for the purpose of Constitutional adjudication?

:                The INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM of a pregnant mother to control
:           her own body must likewise be protected.

Is this principle outside the above "test"?

:                If the "pro-lifers" would show as much concern for
:           People AFTER birth as they do for fetus's before birth, the
:           world could rapidly become a decent place to live in.
:
:
:                UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this
:           IMPORTANT Information is ENCOURAGED.

I'll pass. :^)

:                                        Robert E. McElwaine
-- 
Mike A. McAngus	(mam@jcnpc.cmhnet.org) 

Like I really need another time-consuming hobby.
This Posting Exploits Illiterates.
Newsgroups: alt.atheism