From: bskendig@netcom.com (Brian Kendig)
Subject: Re: I had an abortion two days ago
Organization: Starfleet Headquarters: San Francisco
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 06:12:19 GMT

[I had posted this article under a different subject because I really
thought the current one doesn't apply at ALL -- but then I noticed
that my new subthread seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle of the
rest of the t.a traffic, so I'm putting it back into this thread and
because I really want to know Martin's answer to it.]

Martin writes:
>Brian writes:
>>I don't care if you're sick, elderly, deformed, criminal, rich, or
>>poor -- if you try to violate my body against my will, I'll do
>>everything I can to stop you.  If I have to kill you to stop you, then
>>I will.
>
>You make it sound like the unborn child within someone is guilty of 
>trespassing, battery, and various crimes.  Give 'em a break!  They
>are defenseless and need our attention!  They don't deserve to die.  They
>deserve to live.  Why do we have to be the big bullies to such precious
>fragile beings who may easily be our very own sons and daughters?  

If it wasn't clear, I'll try to make it so: I don't believe the unborn
are 'guilty' or 'innocent' of ANYTHING.  They haven't committed any
crimes at all yet.  I'm not in favor of abortion as some kind of
'punishment' or 'eye-for-an-eye' way to deal with them.

Sure, I'd like to think that the unborn 'deserve' to live.  I'd also
like to think that a woman 'deserves' the right to her own body.  The
fetus isn't just a "fragile being"; it's inhabiting her body.  And
since the woman faces nine months of physical and emotional ups and
downs -- her life becomes a veritable roller-coaster, as anyone who's
known a pregnant woman closely can attest -- and a considerable amount
of risk, I *STRONGLY* oppose anybody telling her she has to carry the
fetus to term even if she really would rather not.

Think of it this way.  Would you support legislation that would
require you to donate a lung or a kidney or some other part of your
body that you can survive without in order to save a life?  I mean,
say the hospital calls you up one day and tells you Mr. So-and-so is
dying, so they've scheduled you for donation surgery on Thursday.
Wouldn't you consider this an infringement on your rights?  By your
logic, I'd think you'd support a law that would require this.  The
dying man needs your attention!  He doesn't deserve to die!

I, however, would consider this to be the government trying to claim
the only thing that I can really call my own -- my body -- and use it
for somebody else's needs.  Whether or not it would be nice of me to
do so is irrelevant, and there are a lot of people who would do so,
willingly; we all should be allowed the choice.

-- 
_/_/_/  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
Xref: sparky talk.abortion:42823 alt.politics.elections:17021