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From: wine@homxa.UUCP (J.GORDON)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: \"Words mean what I pay them to mean . . .\"
Message-ID: <1043@homxa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 17:59:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: homxa.1043
Posted: Mon Jul 22 17:59:52 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Jul-85 03:05:43 EDT
References: <3213@decwrl.UUCP> Ken Arndt in replying to Rich Rosen's argument that the fetus
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 27

is a parasite inside a woman's womb says it can't be since part of it
came from a woman's body.  Well, Ken, how about viruses which
reproduce using a human's DNA -- should they be protected?  How about
cancer cells?  Also, Ken, lets not get too emotional in our replies or
accuse others of immorality -- the pro-choicers are not trying to
legislate your morality.       

On another note, Liz Allen writes:

>It is quite difficult to determine when a fetus becomes sentient by
>[Fank Torreal's] definition because of the limits of technology.  According to
>_The Zero People_[1], a 48 day old fetus will twist and turn away when
>his upper lip is stroked by a fine hair.  How long has he been able to
>do this?  The better our technology, the better we can test and the
>better we can detect such things.

	It is important to remember that the presence of automatic
reflexes is not an indication of sentience.  The leg of a 'brain dead'
person will twitch if the knee is struck below the kneecap.  This is
not evidence of sentience and these individuals are routinely allowed
to die.  (An extreme example of an object with reflexes which is not
sentient is a Venus Fly Trap.)  And by the way, animals have reflexes
too and we humans kill them all the time without being put in prison.


                   Jim Gordon, Jr (ATT BELL LABORATORIES - W. Long
                                                     Branch NJ)