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From: marty1@houem.UUCP (M.BRILLIANT)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: Best for Others?
Message-ID: <669@houem.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Oct-86 15:40:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: houem.669
Posted: Tue Oct 14 15:40:05 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 19:57:40 EDT
References: ...  <686@cal-asd.fluke.UUCP> <2061@curly.ucla-cs.ARPA> <2630@watdcsu.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 35

In article <2630@watdcsu.UUCP> mberkley@watdcsu.UUCP (J.M.Berkley -
Computing Services) wrote:
>In article <2061@curly.ucla-cs.ARPA> oleg@OACVAX.BITNET (Oleg Kiselev) writes:
>>In article <686@cal-asd.fluke.UUCP> ptl@cal-asd.UUCP (Mike Andrews) writes:
>>>Then go another step and put in the
>>>words long term sickness, quadraplegic, ... - another possible direction
>>>things can go.
>>
>>Do not attempt to cloud the issue! ... local court case ...
>> ... is  still too fresh in my memory.
>----------------------------------------------------------------
>I think that Mike was referring to the logical extension of all
>arguments about the usefulness of someone to society: forced
>euthanasia....
>
>The conclusion, it is not right to force euthanasia on the unborn
>baby.

A person's usefulness to society is not ended by chronic illness or
physical disability.  A person continues to be useful by being known,
loved, hated, respected, despised, pitied, etc., by other people.

I have suggested that judgments of whether people should live or die
are made, and should be made, on the basis of that person's usefulness
to society.  But usefulness should not be judged simplistically.  In
fact, usefulness may exist even if can not be proved.  Don't condemn
unless you can prove uselessness "beyond the shadow of a doubt."

There are many differences between unborn children and the chronically
or terminally ill, and "logical extensions" are not to be made lightly.
I can easily oppose forced euthanasia without opposing abortion.

M. B. Brilliant					Marty
AT&T-BL HO 3D-520	(201)-949-1858
Holmdel, NJ 07733	ihnp4!houem!marty1