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Path: utzoo!watmath!saquigley
From: saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: organ replacement vs. child bearing
Message-ID: <7391@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 27-Mar-84 23:44:05 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.7391
Posted: Tue Mar 27 23:44:05 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Mar-84 02:02:30 EST
References: <221@ihnp1.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 34


Actually I was comparing enforced lending of the womb with enforced
lending of other resources of the body which are renewable like blood,
skin and bone marrow (I think, but I am not sure about the replaceability
of bone marrow).

In pregnancy, the child does draw sometimes irreplaceable nutrients from
the mother's body.  Calcium seems to be the main one and it also seems
that no matter what diet one follows during pregnancy, a certain decalcifica-
tion of the mother occurs.  Pregnancy tends to exacerbate other medical
problems, such as bad circulation or skeletal problems (I can't think of the
right term for it right now) and may do some irreparable dammage in those
areas. It is a process which in general draws from the mother's body as whatever
nutrient is missing from the mother's diet might be taken from the mother's
body if it is available.  The difference between pregnancy and organ donations
is that it is not easy to pinpoint what is taken in pregnancy because it is more
generalised and vague than a missing organ.
So the comparison with blood transfusions is more valid than with organs.

Pregnancy is like the donation of organs or blood or whatever in that the
PROCESS of donating is a potentially dangerous one with possibilities of
complications.  The mortality rate for child-birth is still higher than the
mortality rate for early abortions in countries with good hygienical
conditions and good health care services.  I do not know how those rates
compare with the mortality and/or complication rates of organ donations, but
they are clearly higher than the rates for blood donations and probably skin
donations too.

So I think that the comparison between "lending" of the mother's body and
donation of renewable (at least) resources like blood or skin still hold.


				Sophie Quigley
			...!{decvax,allegra}!watmath!saquigley