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From: kurtzman@uscvax.UUCP (Stephen Kurtzman)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Birth Control??
Message-ID: <105@uscvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Oct-85 14:11:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: uscvax.105
Posted: Tue Oct 22 14:11:48 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 07:34:25 EDT
References: <1989@reed.UUCP> <367@cylixd.UUCP> <63@uscvax.UUCP> <64@uscvax.UUCP> <72@uscvax.UUCP> <102@uscvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: kurtzman@usc-cse.UUCP (Stephen Kurtzman)
Organization: CS&CE Depts, U.S.C., Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 36

In article <102@uscvax.UUCP> phillips@usc-cse.UUCP (Marlene Phillips) writes:
>It may be stupid for a woman to forego contraception in favor of abortion,
>but many do it anyway.  "I won't get pregnant, and even if I do, I can
>always have an abortion" is an all too common line of thinking.

This sort of problem must be solved through education not banning abortion.

> In addition,
>you and I both know that abortion can be a dangerous medical operation,
>but many women who go in for abortions have no idea how dangerous it can
>be, and the abortion clinics for the most part do not give much information
>on the very real possible dangers of abortion.
>

This is an unsubstantiated claim. Besides, this is an issue of medical
ethics. Clinics that don't inform people fully of the risks should have
their licenses revoked.

>
>Finally, even if almost all doctors are ethical enough not to
>perform late abortions unless truly necessary to save the mother's
>life, a woman who wants an abortion will find the doctor who will
>claim "potential emotional damage".  Unless it's possible to show
>that no doctor would perform an unjustified late-term abortion, the
>danger of abuse of the "emotional damage" argument remains as a
>problem.
>
>			Marlene Phillips


Drugs aid doctors in treating their patients. However, there
are doctors that dispense drugs haphazardly. Unless its possible to
show that no doctor would dispense drugs unjustifiably, all drugs should be
banned. This is the same reasoning, Marlene. Does it work in this case?
The point is that one does not throw out a medical procedure or form of
analysis because there is potential for abuse.