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From: galenr@shark.UUCP (Galen Redfield)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Message-ID: <1650@shark.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Mar-86 21:30:18 EST
Article-I.D.: shark.1650
Posted: Fri Mar  7 21:30:18 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Mar-86 20:39:53 EST
References: <11560@watnot.UUCP> <9534@ucla-cs.ARPA> <610@bunkerb.UUCP>
Reply-To: galenr@shark.UUCP (Galen Redfield)
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon
Lines: 49

[Trim, trim]

>Pardon me for butting into someone else's argument.

Pardon us all, if you would be so kind.

I  have deleted some 163 lines  of  arguments over   the personhood of
fetus, the right to live, marriage, your  uncle's big toe,  and on and
on....where, as usual, neither side convinced the other of anything.

It   seems to me   that there are  two  controversies that  are  being
"discussed" (snicker) in this newsgroup.  One controversy involves the
practice of abortion  itself (is it  moral or immoral,   good or  bad,
right or wrong, whatever or not whatever).  The other controversy (the
only one we should be discussing,  in my opinion)  is  the legality of
the practice.   As far as I can  figure out, the  legality of abortion
is something  real and tangible that  humans   can establish or change
according   to the collective  opinion,   while  its morality  may  be
discussed  until  doomsday  without  resolution   or consensus.   But,
supposing  that we  must deal  with both  controversies,  let   me now
suggest  that  there are  four sides to   the two questions (let's get
binary):

 1)  Those who think abortion  should be illegal because it is wrong,

 2)  Those who think abortion should not be illegal even though it is
     wrong,

 3)  Those who think abortion should not be illegal because it is not
     wrong, and

 4)  Those who think abortion should be illegal even though it is not
     wrong.

(I am using the word "wrong" in a broad  vague  sense to cover all the
objections that people have to the practice of abortion.)

The last group seems nonsensical to me,  but I suppose  it is possible
that some people may think abortion should be illegal for no reason.

I think we hear most of the argument between groups one and three, and
I guess that is understandable.  However, I speculate that most people
belong to the second group, and are largely amused when not distressed
by the arguments of the verbal opponents from the other two groups.

On second thought, I probably just made all this up as a joke.
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Warm regards,
Galen.