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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)