Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site bonnie.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!emh From: emh@bonnie.UUCP (Edward M. Hummel) Newsgroups: net.abortion,net.politics,net.religion,net.philosophy Subject: Re: Abortion and Capital Punishment Message-ID: <302@bonnie.UUCP> Date: Wed, 28-Nov-84 10:00:09 EST Article-I.D.: bonnie.302 Posted: Wed Nov 28 10:00:09 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 29-Nov-84 04:51:04 EST References: <1782@burdvax.UUCP> <779@ariel.UUCP> <359@klipper.UUCP> <315@qantel.UUCP> <2794@ucbcad.UUCP> <254@rlgvax.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Whippany NJ Lines: 34 >Though I don't at all agree with his ideas, I must confess >there are times when killing humans seems to be the most humane >thing to do. >A case in point: the starving children of Ethiopia and other >African countries. Scientists tell us that these children are already >so severly malnourished that even if they were to survive and grow up, >they would be so severly retarted >... >isn't it the most humane thing to kill those children (who would >otherwise grow up retarded) and end the misery now, rather than >propagate it for generations to come? A much better solution would be to keep them alive in special care centers where they would be available as donors for organ transplants. Thousands of people, many of them children, die each year because of a lack of ready (fresh) donors. Hospitals and prospective organ recipients would be more than willing to foot the bills for the center. I am sure that the people who objected to the Baby Fae experiment because it was cruel to the baboon would welcome alternative organ sources. In fact, maybe it makes sense to do away with animals for experimentation all together! Retarded Ethiopian children would make much better subjects in laboratory experiments. Now if there was only some way to save human fetuses for the same purpose ... Maybe if we require abortions to be postponed until the third month. That wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience for the mother (or temporary life support system) and would give doctors the opportunity to save some percent of the abortions for future use. Ed Hummel {ihnp4,cmcl2,burl,allegra,...}!clyde!bonnie!emh