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From: ray@rochester.UUCP (Ray Frank)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: dogs, cats, and kids
Message-ID: <12087@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 5-Oct-85 09:29:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.12087
Posted: Sat Oct  5 09:29:16 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 7-Oct-85 05:07:35 EDT
References: <739@ttidcc.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 41

> I happen to be 7 months pregnant.  Fetus already has a name, and likes to
> tap dance late at night -- evidence of personality already.  BUT. . .
> 
> If my doctor bungled my last pre-delivery exam and slit little fetus'
> throat, I'd be (hopefully understandably) angry enough to be moved to
> violence, myself.  HOWEVER, as a matter of public policy, the doctor would
> be guilty of something less than murder.  Personally, I'd want the greatest
> revenge and/or punishment that the law would allow, but I couldn't string
> him up for "murdering" something that was still only a potential. (For
> instance, it could still have died in the normal course of delivery.)
> 
> Many fetuses survive after 7 months gestation and pre-mature birth.
> Because they CAN doesn't mean that we can pass laws (public policy) on what
> statistically SHOULD be the outcomes, and declare it human as of that 7
> months date (or any other arbitrary date).  That perhaps it CAN survive
> outside the mother's body doesn't mean anything, unless it IS surviving
> outside the mother's body.  It isn't a baby til it's born.

You're the first person I've known of that refered to their unborn
child simply as a fetus.  I've heard both baby and fetus, but not just
wholly refered to as fetus.  For example, no one said 'hey ray, come feel
fetus kicking', or 'the doctor said fetus is going to be a boy', or how about
'my look how large you are, must be a big fetus in there'.  I know 
by definition the baby, er, the fetus is called a fetus till the fetus is
born and becomes a baby, but fetus seems so technical, so medically doctrinal.
Pro-choice prefer the usage of fetus while pro-life favor the word baby.  In
either case, the choice of the word is used exclusively for argument substant-
iation.  I've yet to hear the term embryo employed to describe a pregnancy 
by an expectant mother.

Embryo is used to describe in humans the first eight weeks of gestation.
"Look how she glows, women seem to glow when carrying an embryo."  "I hope
this embryo develops into a girl this time."  When people start using
terms like this, and I believe they will, you'll think your conversing with
a 5th year med student.  I wonder if people will someday say:  'Didn't 
uncle Joe look nice?  I've never seen a better looking cadaver.'

  No flames please, just kicking around thoughts outloud.

regards
   ray