Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: Abortion vs. Adoption
From: mcbeanb@brandonu.ca
Date: 2 Sep 92 13:49:04 CST
Organization: Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

In article <1992Sep1.095859.1655@sniap.mchp.sni.de>, frank@D012S436.sniap.mchp.sni.de () writes:
> regard@sdd.hp.com (Adrienne Regard) writes:
> : [...]
 
> I also wonder, what if it (abortion) *is* wrong?   You
> know, suppose the z/e/f turned out to be a person all
> along.   Suppose (whisper it) YOU GOT IT WRONG!  AGAIN!
> Suppose that someone up there was mighty pissed off about 
> all this pro-choicing.  Where would that leave us?  What
> would that do to the woman who decided to abort?  And
> finally, is that what is in fact happening?

Why do you care?  I guess in that case those who have "sinned"
will just have to answer for their sins.  I haven't a clue as
to whether you're Christian or not, but the _Bible_ has a neat
little saying:  "Judge not lest ye be judged" which is pretty
darn good advice for anybody (well except maybe a judge, eh?). 
Go ahead and make sure you don't perform an abortion, but why
do you think you have to stop everybody else?

> If you believe in a conscience, and I believe your personal
> experience will demonstrate this, then if abortion is indeed 
> (morally) wrong, then women who choose it will know it - though 
> the consequences of that are so appalling that they may drive 
> it so deep that it is almost unknown to them.  Maybe that's a
> negative affect, maybe not.  It's not a weight I'd like
> to carry.

So don't carry it.  Easy enough, isn't it?
  
> : There have been studies performed on these issues, you know.  Do you know
> : what the bulk of these studies have found?  
> 
> I'm not really sure we're talking about the same issues, Adrienne.  
> But you're quite correct.  I am completely ignorant of any and
> all studies concerning abortion, and would welcome a reference 
> to some of them.  Has anyone really studied a statistically significant 
> number of women's consiences?  I'm not trying to be facetious (that 
> isn't spelt correctly, is it?)  - it's just that as I personally 
> believe there are barely words to describe this, I don't see how
> it can be reduced to bar graphs, pie charts, and numbers.  

That doesn't make any study of abortion any more or less accurate.
Why not check out a few of those bar graphs, pie charts, and numbers
anyway (just for fun).

> Furthermore, I guess you think that studies are always unbiased.  

Does *anyone* think this?  Other than a child newly introduced to science
that is.

> On
> this topic, I wonder.  Did you do science at school?  Didn't you ever 
> draw the line first, and then plot the data?  If you didn't, ask your 
> wild friends.  I'm sure I could find (or even do) a study which would 
> appear to support what I am saying, as I'm sure, could you.

If you want marks, you fudge.  If you want to be convincing, take your
own real-life data and plot it, even if it does stray from theory.
 
> : Upon what knowledge base do
> : you decide that women will be 'affected by it for no little time' (and,
> : by affected, I'm thinking negatively affected, given the thrust of your
> : previous writings on this topic.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
> 
> Only the knowledge base of a single individual, I'm afraid.
> This is based on people I know, and certain aspects of my
> own experience.  I'm willing to grant you, that as a woman,
> your knowledge base on this topic is probably two orders
> of magnitude greater than mine.  It's got nothing to do with 
> any "studies" you may have read, I'm sorry to tell you.  

I hope you don't plan to draw lasting conclusions about the subject
then.  It's often smart to "get the facts" before deciding whether
something is right or wrong.
 
> Frank O'Dwyer		       			Disclaimer: 
> Siemens-Nixdorf AG 	                        I will deny everything
> Tel.  : +49 (89) 636-40639                      Fax.  : +49 (89) 636-45860
> e-mail: Frank.ODwyer@sniap.mchp.sni.de <--Use this, reply-to is broken

Brian McBean  -  McBeanB@BrandonU.Ca