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From: brad@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Against abortion
Message-ID: <622@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-Jul-83 22:34:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.622
Posted: Fri Jul  8 22:34:26 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Jul-83 18:04:50 EDT
References: <483@ihuxi.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 42


	From: rcj1@ihuxi.UUCP
	Subject: Against abortion
	Date: Wed, 6-Jul-83 17:01:26 EDT

	You mean to tell me that if a human's brain activity
	ceases he no longer qualifies as a human????


Exactly! That is the current definition of death in medical circles.  I'm not
sure why you have such a hard time believing this.  It seems to me that if
the brain is gone there isn't much of a person left and that the only reason
the body keeps on fuctioning for any length of time is that some form of
artifical life support is used.  I've never heard of anyone being revived
after "brain death", but I'd like to hear if you have any sources.

	And another thing, the next time your in Chicago
	stop by the Museum of Science and Industry and
	look up the baby exhibit. It consists of young
	fetus' individually cased in some sort of liquid
	preserver. The age of these fetuses range from
	a few weeks old to 8 months. Its remarkable how
	much a few weeks old fetus looks human!!!!.

It's also amazing how much the fetus doesn't resemble a human.  What about
the tail and gills that the fetus poseses for much (a relative term I'll
admit) of its development.  Saying a fetus looks remarkably human is just a
ploy for emotional sympathy and smacks of cheap theatrics.  Its also easy to
say that a fetus looks remarkably like a lot of other creatures.

	If women were told of the alternatives
	to abortion, maybe there wouldn't be as many..

Possibly, but its my gut feeling that most women having abortions know of the
alternatives such as adoption or raising the child, but each has decided that
abortion as the best alternative in her situation.  I would be interested in
any statistics that anyone could provide on this.


				b**2
				(Brad Balfour)
				umcp-cs!brad