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From: stevev@tekchips.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Re: Morality and Democracy
Message-ID: <156@tekchips.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 17:31:49 EST
Article-I.D.: tekchips.156
Posted: Mon Dec 17 17:31:49 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Dec-84 03:25:01 EST
References: <540@wucs.UUCP> <223@looking.UUCP> <132@tekchips.UUCP> <10367@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 35

>>> Abortion laws are enforced morality ...

>> Does this mean that if 51% of the population of Mississippi in 1860 favored
>> slavery that it should have been allowed to continue?
>>     "Anti-slavery laws are enforced morality ..."

> The prime difference I see between abortion & slavery ...

I did not mean to start a flurry of messages about slavery in net.abortion,
which I apparently did.  Rather, I was attempting to raise a meta-issue.
I picked slavery "out of the hat" as an example of something that we all
agree (we do, don't we?) is "obviously immoral", but that at one time in
parts of our country was an accepted practice.  People vehemently argued
for it to be continuted.

Given that X (e.g., slavery, murder) is immoral, statements
such as "anti-X laws are enforced morality" are not persuasive arguments
against anti-X laws.  To a person who believes that abortion is on par with
slavery, murder, etc., "abortion laws are enforced morality" makes about
as much sense as "anti-slavery (or anti-murder, or pick your favorite immoral
activity...) laws are enforced morality".

What I am suggesting to people with pro-choice leanings is that the next
time you post an argument about abortion, try substituting something like
"slavery" into your argument in place of "abortion".  If the modified
argument makes no sense, then consider not posting it.

I am sure that an analagous filter can be proposed for "pro-life" postings.
If such filters are applied, we can cut down on the high percentage of
messages in this newsgroup that beg one question or another.

		Steve Vegdahl
		Computer Research Lab.
		Tektronix, Inc.
		Beaverton, Oregon