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From: mat@hou4b.UUCP (Mark Terribile)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.abortion
Subject: Re: Gosh, I hope this doesn't bury me
Message-ID: <1330@hou4b.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Feb-85 18:04:21 EST
Article-I.D.: hou4b.1330
Posted: Mon Feb 18 18:04:21 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Feb-85 07:03:19 EST
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Xref: watmath net.women:4495 net.abortion:1274

> ...  However, since the laws of this country do not require the equal
> responsibility for childbearing (and I mean equal in ALL senses of emotional,
> financial, societal, etc. responsibility) by men, and since medical science
> does not definitively identify the male parent of the fetus,

No longer true.  With enough effort, it IS possible to determine whether a
given individual is a parent.

>...  nor is a man capable to carry a fetus, ... this is an issue for women.

Red herring time, here.  ``Since Northerners can't own slaves, I don't think
they should be talking about the morality of slaveholding''

Not being personally involved has NEVER absolved an individual of guilt
earned by standing aside and letting bad things happen.

> Certainly men may have opinions, and notably do, across the spectrum.
> However, they cannot have the ultimate responsibility because their bodies,
> futures, careers, livelihood are not impacted by this issue EXCEPT by their
> voluntary consent.

I agree that nature has placed a greater burden on women in the process of
creating the next generation.  That greater responsibility DOES NOT MEAN that
power over life and death should be granted to an individual.

The issue is simple.  Can we be reasonably sure that what we are destroying
is not the moral/ethical equivalent of a human being?  If it is, no amount of
sophistry about the burdens that nature has placed can excuse destroying it.

> ... and I particularly have a hard time listening to men condemn them.

There is a difference between condemning a horribly mistaken act and condemning
the indivisual who does the act ... although I have to admit it is difficult
not to condemn those ``doctors'' who make death their profession.

I also fail to understand why our society does not support women through
pregnancy.  If raising a future generation is important to us, women ought
to be given vast allowances of time off (with pay) for childbirth and for
a child's early years, and such women ought to get preferential treatment
when they re-enter the workforce.  This is where ``sharing the burden'' comes
in.  Note I said sharing, NOT destroying.

NOW LET'S GET THIS OUT OF NET.WOMEN!
-- 

	from Mole End			Mark Terribile
		(scrape .. dig )	hou4b!mat
    ,..      .,,       ,,,   ..,***_*.