From: bskendig@netcom.com (Brian Kendig)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: I had an abortion two days ago
Date: 4 Oct 92 02:26:19 GMT
Organization: Starfleet Headquarters: San Francisco

Martin writes:
>Brian writes:
[ in regards to the "are sperm/eggs human life?" debate ]
>>Well, I don't know.  If they're not homo sapiens, then what are they?
>>"No species"?  Then how are human sperm/eggs different from those of a pig?
>
>How about specialized human cells which acts as messengers.  They are
>no "species" in and of themselves.

Okay, so you're now creating another category of existence to support
your opinion that sperm/eggs are not human life.

I don't know how many people would agree with your choice, although
I'll admit that some people might.

>Once people realize that that which is killed during abortion is a human
>life, then there is a much better chance that that person may change his/her
>mind on abortion.  Of course, not everyone knows that.  Some people still
>think that the unborn is just a bunch of human tissue.

The fetus _is_ just a bunch of human tissue, at least until well into
its development.  This tissue is, of course, alive, therefore it's
"human life".  I realize that it's "human life", but I'm still in
favor of letting abortion always be an option.  What, in your opinion,
am I missing that would lead me to want to outlaw abortions?

>>So how do you get from "sperm/egg isn't human life, but anything from
>>conception onwards is" to "it is never permissible to abort a z/e/f"?
>
>Educating people about the existence of human life at conception could
>be seen as a first step.  For once people know that, I am hoping that
>our fellow brothers and sisters general sense of social responsibility
>when it comes to the dignity of human life everywhere will realize that
>more is at stake here than just the mother having a "mere medical procedure."

Yup, more IS at stake here than just a "mere medical procedure".
What's at stake is the life of an unorganized, undifferentiated clump
of cells versus the freedoms and rights of a woman.

Why do you keep trying to oversimplify matters to the point of casting
the issue solely in terms of the life of a fetus?  Why haven't you
responded to the concerns of the woman?  (And no, saying "A rose is a
rose regardless of how it was planted" is _not_ "responding to the
concerns of the woman.")  What scientific basis exists, if any, for
your desire to protect z/e/f's -- or are you defending from a purely
moral or religious viewpoint?

I'll meet you halfway on this.  I'm all for letting women know what
they're really doing when they go in for an abortion; I'm in favor of
showing them a chart of the development of a human fetus and letting
them see what they're un-making by having an abortion.  But I DON'T
want to see people feeding them subjective propaganda like so many
pro-lifers seem to like doing.

-- 
_/_/_/  Brian Kendig                             Je ne suis fait comme aucun
 _/_/  bskendig@netcom.com                de ceux que j'ai vus; j'ose croire
  _/                            n'etre fait comme aucun de ceux qui existent.
                             Si je ne vaux pas mieux, au moins je suis autre.
                                                                 -- Rousseau
Newsgroups: talk.abortion