Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site spp1.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwspp!spp2!spp1!johnston From: johnston@spp1.UUCP Newsgroups: net.abortion Subject: Re: Beyond "Prolife" Smugness: The Consequences They Never Thought of Message-ID: <131@spp1.UUCP> Date: Wed, 5-Dec-84 19:40:10 EST Article-I.D.: spp1.131 Posted: Wed Dec 5 19:40:10 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 8-Dec-84 05:15:25 EST References: <1545@pur-phy.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: TRW, Redondo Beach CA Lines: 52 In response to a posting by Alex Tselis wife: Forgive me for not addressing every point and I'm not just selecting only those I can favorably refute. The article makes some good points and I would just like to offer a few comments. 1. Parenting is indeed a commitment and because a woman is biologically able to conceive does not qualify her for this. Yet she need not accept the responsibility of parenting if she is not committed. The choice to keep a baby after delivery is hers. Unfortunately, as you stated, adoptions for non-white or retarded children are low, but they do exist. Of course you also talked about the alternatives for children who aren't adoptable. Ugly situations can arise which brings up my next point. 2. If we are to have unwanted children (a situation I see with us irregardless of abortion), let's attack that problem directly. Solving the abuse of unwanted children can never be realized by attempting to slow down the production thereof. 3. I'm about to violate a basic rule of mine which is to offer a statistic without references. But I've read this from several sources and no source (including planned parenthood) has refuted it. The statistic (actually a statement, no numbers) is that the majority of abused children were not unwanted and abortion was not a consideration. To be sure, committment itself cannot produce always a good parent. Therefore abortion would not really effect a solution to child abuse. 4. I hope you're not seriously attempting to make a statement concerning the reluctance of anti-abortionist as a class to be concerned about children that are alive today based on some that you have talked to. I didn't think I needed to adopt a black child to be concerned or to be active in his plight. You might ask those questions to professional footbal players (or any group) and come up with the amazing statement that athletes are not concerned with the plight of children. 5. I wish also that the time, energy, and money directed against abortion were spent on living children. Unfortunately, I don't see the issue going away, since that would free up these resources. I might add how beneficial the time, energy, and money spent for abortions could be used not only for living children but to prevent conceptions. In summary, the problem of how children are handled in this world needs to be addressed independent of abortions. Since I don't follow your logic of disregard for living children being a result of concern for the unborn, it seems possible to be concerned about both. In other words concern and compassion for children irregardless of their state. You ask people to be compassionate for a child placed in an institution against his will. I ask for the same compassion for another child who also is in an institution of sorts against his will. This institution, at times, upholds a death penalty. Mike Johnston