Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site boulder.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!nbires!boulder!richard
From: richard@boulder.UUCP (Richard Byrd)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: a task for those opposed to abortion
Message-ID: <286@boulder.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 11-Jan-86 04:15:19 EST
Article-I.D.: boulder.286
Posted: Sat Jan 11 04:15:19 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jan-86 03:33:21 EST
References: <1100@oddjob.UUCP> <365@cisden.UUCP>
Reply-To: richard@boulder.UUCP
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Lines: 37

I think the recently made request for elucidation of the basis of the immorality
of murder is a very relevant to the abortion question. 
Everyone agrees that murder is immoral and should be illegal. 
People disagree as to whether abortion is murder. 
Indeed, the question of whether abortion is murder is to a great extent 
a matter of definition, and peoples' definitions vary. 
Thus it is quite appropriate to go a level deeper and examine why we believe 
murder is so wrong and then see if these reasons apply to abortion.

Why and when murder is wrong can be a very subtle question, but I would like
to note some simple points that I hope are not too controversial.
I think that I, and most other people, oppose murder primarily because of 
the suffering caused to the person killed.
When we are shocked and disturbed on hearing of a murder, I think it
is because of the thought of what it would be like for us to be killed.
A person who once had a life to look forward to now has nothing.
Along the same vein, if murder were legal and universally permitted our lives
would be full of uncertainty and terror. Thus we make murder illegal.

Note that our sympathy for the victim and our horror at
the act seem related to the victim's consciousness of his life.
For most of us these arguments do not apply to killing animals.
It appears that we don't think that animals have enough consciousness 
of their lives to make the prospect of losing it a source of great anguish.
(However, for the higher animals "cruelty to animals" laws do attempt to limit
the purely physical suffering and pain involved in killing animals.)

In the case of a fetus, it seems clear that in the earliest stages of 
development there is no pain, much less consciousness, and the above
arguments against murder do not apply. As the fetus develops, my 
understanding is that there is sensation of pain, but how much more 
consciousness exists is debatable.
Therefore it seems that to understand the morality of abortion we must
have a deeper understanding of the nature of the fetus.

Of course, a different basis for regarding murder as immoral might lead
one to different conclusions regarding abortion.