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From: psuvm%v6m@psuvax1.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: 
Message-ID: <898@psuvm.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 11:43:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: psuvm.898
Posted: Thu Jun 21 11:43:03 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Jul-84 03:35:10 EDT
Lines: 48

The problem here is equating a lower life form (carrots, dolphins, etc)
with man.  We have been taught, that man is the highest form of life on earth
and all other forms are subordinate and are to be used by him.

We may be guilty of poor stewardship(aka management) when we endanger a species
but the wrong is in the acts which endanger the entire specie NOT the killing
of the membership PER SE.

Man kills all of the time to eat.  This is NATURAL.

Murder is a crime commited by man against man.  A man may kill a dolphin at ANY
stage of the dolphins life and it is NOT murder.  A dolphin may kill a man at
any stage of the man's life and the dolphin has not murdered.

I won't consider the question of whether a dolphin can murder another dolphin
because I don't think murder is capable in lower forms of life. And besides
the laws of man need not bother with governing the interactions of lower forms
of life.  We should be concerned with stewardship though.

The next problem is equating a fetus of man with a full grown dolphin.
The comparison is silly.  We must consider the fetus as a stage of development
of the species of mankind.  It must NOT be compared against another species no
matter at what stage.

The question of the personhood, humanity or inteligence of the fetus must be
discussed within the fact that it is a stage of human development.  One MUST
be a fetus first!!!

When an abortion is done the fetus is killed.  Even if the fetus is only a few
cells, those cells are alive. They constitute a higher organism than just a
colection of cells.  The organism will grow and eventually be viable.

When the fetus is removed it usually dies.  This is observed fact.

The problem then of abortion is an ethical, philosophical, religious and a
social problem.  These areas will affect the legal answer to the problem.

Here is my simple minded position:
The fetus is a human since it is a necessary stage of human development.
The fetus is alive.
The fetus has a right to come to term since it is alive.
The rights of the fetus have priority over the rights of the parents.
The fetus needs protection since it is defensless(which is why it is
within the mother's body in the first place).
Both parents have obligations to the fetus and have rights to the fetus.


                   Vince Marchionni