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Path: utzoo!watmath!saquigley
From: saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: An abortion story
Message-ID: <9993@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Nov-84 10:28:31 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.9993
Posted: Mon Nov 26 10:28:31 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Nov-84 03:51:01 EST
References: <44@tove.UUCP>, <2201@stolaf.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 45


>	This "story" was outageously sensationalistic.  I am not denying
>that it was very disturbing, but to posit the intelligence and cognition
>of a ten week old fetus is really stretching it.  This was a blatant 
>attempt to emotionalize the whole thing and ignore any facts that may be
>pertinent.  This method of indoctrination is very indicative of most 
>conservative (i.e. Ronnie) methods of advertising, informing, etc.  Please
>note:  I am NOT saying that this was not a very disturbing story.  In fact
>no pro-choicer (of which I am one) can convince me that pro-lifers don't
>have some serious and legitimate concerns.  But NIETHER can ANYONE
>convince me that this emotionalistic attempt at illegitimate personification
>has ANY bearing on EITHER side of the argument.  Leave this narrative
>for the uneducated who can only respond emotionally rather than rationally.
>
>Tom Twiss @ St. Olaf College

Although I am pro-choice myself, I do take exception to the attitude above.
Please tell me what is wrong with involving emotions in discussions.  Where
is the rule saying a position is invalid because it is based on emotions?
why pretend that abortion is NOT an emotional issue when it so obviously is,
since motherhood (parenting) love, life and death are emotional issues.

Do people love each other for rational reasons?
Do people make love to each other for rational reasons?
Do people choose to have children for rational reasons?
Do people choose not to have children for rational reasons?
Do people grieve when someone dies for rational reasons?
Are people happy when someone is born for rational reasons?

Face it, the world is here today because of emotions and may blow up any
minute both for emotional reasons and because of a lack or emotions (the
emotion present being fear and the emotion missing love of other people).
So emotions are a force to be reckoned with.  Trying to ignore them will
not help resolve problems, it will just push them under the surface and
people will fabricate rational justifications for them which will never
hold as much as the emotions themselves did.

As far as abortion is considered, there are emotional arguments to both
sides of the issue, and we cannot ignore them.  However their interactions
are so complex and their implications so far-reaching that I am afraid it
is impossible to choose one as being the only important one, and this is
why I am pro-choice.

Sophie Quigley
...!{clyde,ihnp4,decvax}!watmath!saquigley