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From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: animal vs human rights, morality
Message-ID: <545@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Jan-85 10:53:03 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.545
Posted: Tue Jan 29 10:53:03 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Jan-85 06:47:28 EST
References: <232@usl.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 28

Joseph Arceneaux writes:
> If we should place such a premium on that trait known as intelligence that we
> give moral  superiority to our species over the others on our planet, then we
>must also give such MORAL superiority to those of our species who are most in-
> telligent.

     The second part of the above statement doesn't follow from the first, and
the author makes absolutely no effort to support it.  I've read other comments
along these lines too, like: "Well, if it's conciousness which is important,
what if you're temporarily unconcious.  Is it all right to kill you?" or "What
about stupid people, don't they have rights?"
    WAKE UP, PEOPLE!  We're not talking about according rights in varying
amounts depending on how intelligent people are on some linear scale.  The
straw man builders are the only ones who have made statements like that.
   We're talking about a threshold of conciousness somewhere between animals
and people.  ALL people, except the brain-dead and those only recently 
conceived fall above this threshold.  Of course, it's hard to determine
just when in it's developement a fetus passes this threshold and becomes
more than an animal.  AND, of course, it's good to give the benefit of the
doubt since we don't know.  But do we need to push this benefit of the
doubt back all of the way to conception?  Is there any doubt that a 6 week
old fetus does not yet have more conciousness than a Labrador Retriever?
-- 
Jeff Sonntag
ihnp4!mhuxt!js2j
     "And I don't want to die.  
      I'd rather ride on my motorcy-
                           cle."         Arlo Guthrie