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From: laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Legal question of anti-abortionists
Message-ID: <3714@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 1-Apr-84 18:45:59 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.3714
Posted: Sun Apr  1 18:45:59 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Apr-84 18:45:59 EST
References: <813@ihuxq.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 29

Currently we do not prohibit mothers from doing ``anything that would
harm their child''. We do prohibit them from killing them, however.

Citizenship is a matter which is decided by individual countries. 
Personally, I would like it if every person who wanted to be a
citizen of any country (including the one that he was born in) had
to apply for citizenship. This is not in order to reject any
native-borners, but so that every citizen would have a real, concrete
experience of *asking* to be a citizen. (it is easier to remember that
you have responsibilities when you have explicitly asked for them.)

I do not think that ``place of birth'' was settled on as a grounds for
citizenship (in the countries which practice this -- some don't)
because it was automatically assumed that life began there, merely
*official* life (ie on paper -- what the bureacrats always want)
began there, birth records being a very widespread phenomenon.

There is no reason to change this if you like the system. Personally,
I would prefer that the citizenship of the child defaults to that of
the person (or group) who raised him, with multiple citizenships
possible. Why we are at this we could tidy things up so that pregnant
Americans abroad don't have to race home to have their kid just
in case he or she might want to be President some day.
-- 
Laura Creighton
utzoo!laura

	"Capitalism is a lot of fun. If you aren't having fun, then
	 you're not doing it right."		-- toad terrific