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From: carole@rosevax.UUCP (Carole Ashmore)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
Subject: Re: Reply to Marty
Message-ID: <646@rosevax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Sep-86 14:43:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: rosevax.646
Posted: Tue Sep 30 14:43:43 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 2-Oct-86 20:32:46 EDT
References: <5488@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Organization: Rosemount Inc., Eden Prairie, MN
Lines: 41
Summary: Mention of abortion in the Hippocratic Oath

In article <5488@decwrl.DEC.COM>, ferrin@tonto.dec.com (Doug Ferrin) writes:
> 	I do not think that abortion was ever socially acceptable. It's
> 	also interesting to note that in the oath of Hypocrates it is
> 	stated that a doctor shall not cause a woman to lose a child by
> 	abortion (pardon my indirect quote). 


'Indirect quote', indeed!  You have misinterpreted the Hippocratic oath to
support your anti abortion position.  I quote (directly):


	. . . I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked nor 
	suggest any such counsel, and in like manner I will not give
	to a woman a pessary to produce abortion.


The Hippocratic Oath does not forbid abortion, per se, but a
particular method of abortion.  The method (which was still in
occasional use by non medical practitioners of abortion up to the
time of Roe vs. Wade) was that of introducing a foreign object 
into the uterus and waiting for the irritation caused by infection 
to cause the expulsion of the fetus.  Unfortunately, this method, 
even after the introduction of antibiotics in 1945, often produced 
such a massive infection that the woman died.  At the time of origin 
of the Hippocratic Oath it would usually have been fatal.  

Note that there is no mention of losing a child (and indeed no mention
of a child at all).  All concern is concentrated on the woman.  Also
note from the context (". . . and in like manner") that giving a woman
a pessary to produce abortion was seen as similar to helping a patient
commit suicide.  The physician was enjoined to do neither even if
asked by the patient or the patient's relatives.

In its concern to forbid a method of abortion likely to kill the
woman, the Hippocratic Oath is quite compatible with the Roe vs. Wade
decision wherein it is stated that the states may regulate or forbid
abortion after the first trimester in the interests of protecting the
woman's health.

					Carole Ashmore