Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site cmu-cs-spice.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cmu-cs-spice!tdn
From: tdn@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA (Thomas Newton)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Re: Whose (not who's!) Life Anyway?
Message-ID: <386@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 01:33:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-s.386
Posted: Thu Jul 11 01:33:41 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 06:49:10 EDT
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 17

> > > It seems to me that since the fetus of 1 minute and the child of one
> > > month differ only in the amount of time since conception.  They
> > > share the same genetic information, and are thus the same person. 

> Oh, then why bother going through this silly process known as pregnancy?
> If they are the same person, then let's pop them out of the oven right
> after conception.  It would save some of us women a lot of trouble.

There are differences between the child of 5 years, the teenager of 15 years,
and the adult of 50 years, also.  Would you say that because the child of 5
years is fairly short and (almost always) not ready to attend college, s/he
is not the same person as the adult of 50 years who is much taller and has
much more knowledge?  Or would you claim that if they are the same person,
there is no need to bother going through the silly process of education?

Change in human beings is much more pronounced towards the beginning and end
of their lifetimes.  Does this really come as a surprise?