Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site cwruecmp.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!cwruecmp!decot From: decot@cwruecmp.UUCP (Dave Decot) Newsgroups: net.abortion Subject: Re: The myth of humanity (moral article) Message-ID: <1068@cwruecmp.UUCP> Date: Sat, 3-Mar-84 15:55:47 EST Article-I.D.: cwruecmp.1068 Posted: Sat Mar 3 15:55:47 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 4-Mar-84 07:12:41 EST References: <7053@watmath.UUCP>, <1354@druxv.UUCP> Organization: CWRU Computer Engr. Cleveland, Ohio Lines: 37 M. L. Fontenot writes (all indented text): At the instant of conception, there is a new and unique human being that never existed before. Killing that unique human being is no different than killing a newly born human. If you can justify killing a human immediately after it comes into existance, you should equally well be able to justify killing a newborn, or a human at any other stage of its life. A difference is that before the brain begins to function there is no history of experience, which makes up who a person is. This individuality of recorded experience is the biggest difference between beings and non-beings, and is primarily why I value human life. I have other reasons, too. Four or eight cells, albethey "human," have no ability to record experience, and thus are as killable as cancer, since they may be recreated at any time. There is no "being", because nobody is experiencing it. The argument about brain developement is groundless...what if you were, for some reason, rendered comatose for a week, but capable of complete recovery after that week. Is it OK for someone to kill you because your mind isn't currently functioning? No, it isn't OK to kill me because my brain has momentarily ceased, and I don't care if I don't make a complete recovery, as long as I retain some record of my life and a way to express it. If not, I don't care if I live or die, because I am nobody. Kill me (painlessly, please), unless somebody wants a new "baby." Someday we will find all of the present-day pro-abortion rationalizations as hard to believe as the Hitler death camps...he had his rationalizations too, you know. Those killings were bad because those people had lives and experiences, which were valuable to them and to others. Dave Decot "A zygote isn't people, yet." decvax!cwruecmp!decot (Decot.Case@rand-relay)