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From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: A suggestion...(long)
Message-ID: <318@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 26-Oct-84 15:38:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.318
Posted: Fri Oct 26 15:38:59 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Oct-84 04:01:47 EDT
References: <2064@stolaf.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 33


     **.  I believe that insofar as abortion is
>       a civic issue, debate of the sort I have introduced is valuable
>       and necessary (for that is how our legal system works).  But
>       dry philosophising for the sake of masturbating our egoes--the
>       sort which [aaack, I cannot hold my tounge] Jeff Sonntag is
>       engaged in in his *Hypothetical Question* debate--is entirely
>       useless.  Ultimately, abortion is a personal, individual, and
>       un-universalizable issue, and must therefore be dealt with
>       anew each time the issue arises.  The attempt to come to some
>       sort of pat philosophical stance is antithetical the processes
>       of grieving and decision-making which women *and men* confronted
>       with a situation in which abortion is an option must face.

   I must agree with Chuck, in that I too see abortion as a personal issue
which must be dealt with anew each time the issue arises.  However, in case
he has forgotten, there are people out there who wish to settle the issue
once and for all, for everyone, with laws.  If we are to retain this freedom,
we may well need *RATIONAL, OBJECTIVE* arguements.  A decision about an
individual abortion is un-universalizable, as you say, but the question of
whether abortion is to be legal or not, and under what conditions, is, if not
universal, at least national.

   Without rational, objective reasons for supporting the legality of
abortion, pro-choicers are left with only "Well, I *FEEL* that people should
have a choice.", and are continuously open to the accusation: "You really
only think that your convenience is more important than a human life."

BTW,
"dry philosophizing" = "rational, objective"  but one sure sounds a lot better.

Jeff Sonntag
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