Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!yale!husc6!panda!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-trillian!melissa From: melissa@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU (Melissa Silvestre) Newsgroups: talk.abortion Subject: Re: 2-year-olds vs fetuses-survival Message-ID: <1233@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU> Date: Mon, 6-Oct-86 12:56:29 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-tril.1233 Posted: Mon Oct 6 12:56:29 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 11-Oct-86 10:25:41 EDT References: <5152@decwrl.DEC.COM> <1091@ogcvax.UUCP> Reply-To: melissa@trillian.UUCP (Melissa Silvestre) Organization: MIT Project Athena Lines: 45 In article <648@houem.UUCP> marty1@houem.UUCP writes: >In <1606@cbdkc1.UUCP>, pmd@cbdkc1.UUCP (Paul M. Dubuc) wrote: > >OK, Paul, if the same protection the state gives 2-year olds will >satisfy you as protection of the fetus, I'm satisfied too. If the >mother of a 2-year old absolutely refuses to care for a 2-year old, and >wants to give the child away, the child is taken away from her. Don't >impose on the mother's freedom. Just take the fetus away. >.... >I reply that you can tell a fetus from a child if you take it away from >its mother, give it to someone who will love it and wants to care for >it, and see whether it lives or dies. > >M. B. Brilliant Marty I have to disagree with this test. Medical science is getting closer and closer to the point that they can keep the fetus alive from conception out of a womb (or transplanted to another womb). I happen to be a (female) positive eugenicist. That means I care about what genes I allow to continue in the race. If a mental retard raped me and made me pregnant, I would want that fetus killed regardless of what miracles of medicine could save them because I don't want to be biologically responsible for allowing genes that I consider harmful to mankind to be perpetuated. Eugenics is a very dirty word nowadays, and I expect to get flamed severely. But I firmly believe that I have a right to want to choose the father of my children by genetic criteria. No man has the right to force me to bear his child if I believe his genetic contribution will damage either the child in particular or my future genetic lineage. For those inclined to flame, realize the difference between "positive" and "negative" eugenics. Negative eugenicists want to sterilize others carrying "bad" genes. Positive eugenicists are interested only in trying to increase the frequency of 'good' genes (by their own definition) through voluntary measures involving the bearers of those good genes. So to summarize: I can't accept viability (as defined by modern medicine's state of the art techniques) as the only criterion for judging whether a fetus must be saved. I as future parent have more long-term concerns. -- Melissa Silvestre (melissa@athena.mit.edu)