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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!cires!nbires!opus!rcd
From: rcd@opus.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Open letter to pro-lifers, round 2
Message-ID: <281@opus.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Mar-84 03:13:03 EST
Article-I.D.: opus.281
Posted: Mon Mar 26 03:13:03 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Mar-84 02:58:22 EST
References: <320@bunkerb.UUCP> <372@denelcor.UUCP>
Organization: NBI, Boulder
Lines: 26

<>
> I sometimes wonder if our high regard for life isn't in fact a cause of
> some of the other problems we experience--overpopulation to name one.
> This is an idea I am still working on and I don't even understand all of
> the questions much less do I have any great insight into the answers.

I, too, wonder about our "high regard for life."  I like to make a
distinction between "(really) living" and "just being alive."  I hate to
get drawn into the questions of "quality of life" - but I fear that we give
too much importance to maintaining protoplasm and not enough to maintaining
(deep breath, looking for the right phrase but not finding it) "meaningful
existence."

It's interesting to notice that, in mammals in general, a mother is quite
likely to abandon offspring if they don't have a good chance of surviving.
The young animal may be malformed, seriously ill, or whatever - but if the
mother seems to sense a serious problem, she will give up on the infant.  I
don't think that this behavior is in any way irrational, and I do think we
can learn from it.  It's adaptive behavior; its intent is (apparently) to
maximize the chance of survival of the mother (to reproduce again) and of
the healthy offspring.  But how do we factor this into our own behavior?
We have to deal with the silly human traits of intelligence and
compassion, which sometimes prevent us from acting on instinct alone. 
Nor do I want to suggest that we embark on eugenics in any serious way.
-- 
{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd