Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsrgv.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!ray
From: ray@utcsrgv.UUCP (Raymond Allen)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: privacy & abortions - (nf)
Message-ID: <1695@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Jul-83 17:11:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.1695
Posted: Wed Jul  6 17:11:33 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 6-Jul-83 17:27:43 EDT
References: <1280@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 33


	The problem with abortion (by "problem" I mean on why no one ever seems to
agree with anyone else's viewpoint on the issue) is that abortion is really a
MORAL not LEGAL issue.  If, for example, a given person believes that abortion is
murder and that murder is immoral, then that person must naturally conclude that
abortion is immoral and should thus not be legal either.  But our society allows
for the taking of human life under various special circumstances (e.g. capital
punishment, euthanasia, self-defence).  In my home province (Ontario) the health
board routinely sterilizes mentally retarded children without their consent.  Is
this immoral?  There is certainly a good argument in favor of this practice.  

	How about the different cases where an abortion may be desired?  Consider
when a woman's life is threatened by an unborn child she is carrying.  How about
when a woman who has no money and 14 children  gets pregnant because she and her
husband do not practice birth control.  How about pregnancies resulting from rape?
How about parthogenesis (I suppose this is getting silly)?  The point that I'm
trying to get across is that the issue is far too complex to be dealt with by
sweeping generalizations.  How anyone can take a firm stand on either side is
beyond me.  (Personally I believe that abortion is a matter that should be dealt
with by the persons involved, but even this statement of my own I find hard to
accept as universal when I consider all the possible scenarios for abortion.

	Anyway, I have gone on far too long.  I will wait for the flames to
decend and see whether anyone (including myself) understands all the facets of
the abortion argument.


					I remain under asbestos,

						Ray Allen
						utcsrgv!ray
						(416) 978-5036