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!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!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: My view on the subject Message-ID: <432@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA> Date: Wed, 21-Aug-85 19:54:26 EDT Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-s.432 Posted: Wed Aug 21 19:54:26 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 18:51:20 EDT Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI Lines: 32 > ... > Why?? That's where the simple part comes in. No funny tricks > here. A mere question of freedom and equality. Here it is: > > As long as MEN have the freedom to engage in activities that are > biologically reproductive in nature and then refuse to face the > consequences, equality demands that WOMEN must have this freedom > also. The only way this can be accomplished at the present time > is by abortion on demand. > ... > Warm regards, > Galen. Two points: (1) Any man who can be identified as the father of a child can be made to face the consequences -- have you ever heard of child support? There is the problem of identifying the father, but that shouldn't be hard if the potential candidates cooperate. If they don't cooperate, it is basically the same situation as identifying bank robbers -- and we haven't repealed the laws against robbery because some of them get away. (2) If equality applies to sex-without-consequences, shouldn't it also apply to more basic things such as life? Using abortion to minimize the effect of biological differences between men and women imposes horrible inequalities on the young-old axis; it seems to me that equality-in-general as opposed to equality- between-sexes demands that we prohibit abortion on demand. -- Thomas Newton Thomas.Newton@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA