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From: pmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Re: Whose (not who's!) Life Anyway?
Message-ID: <5589@cbscc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 11:54:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbscc.5589
Posted: Tue Jul 16 11:54:40 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jul-85 09:37:54 EDT
References: <386@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories <SCCS>, Columbus
Lines: 31

}> > > It seems to me that since the fetus of 1 minute and the child of one
}> > > month differ only in the amount of time since conception.  They
}> > > share the same genetic information, and are thus the same person. 
}
}> Oh, then why bother going through this silly process known as pregnancy?
}> If they are the same person, then let's pop them out of the oven right
}> after conception.  It would save some of us women a lot of trouble.
}
}There are differences between the child of 5 years, the teenager of 15 years,
}and the adult of 50 years, also.  Would you say that because the child of 5
}years is fairly short and (almost always) not ready to attend college, s/he
}is not the same person as the adult of 50 years who is much taller and has
}much more knowledge?  Or would you claim that if they are the same person,
}there is no need to bother going through the silly process of education?
}
}Change in human beings is much more pronounced towards the beginning and end
}of their lifetimes.  Does this really come as a surprise?

Good point.  The main question is, why do these differences even make a
difference when it comes to whether or not we may end the life of certain
individuals?  Perhaps the first person here should have used the word
"individual" rather than "person".  Sophie (second quote) seems to take
"person" to mean "personality"; to her own advantage, of course.  I think
you have pointed out that using the length of a individual's life and the
experiences she has had (which go into making her the person she is, in
Sophie's sense of the word) as a basis for considering whether or not
we may kill that individual, does not make sense.  I hope that is not what
Sophie was trying to imply.
-- 

Paul Dubuc 	cbscc!pmd