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From: mberkley@watdcsu.UUCP (J.M.Berkley - Computing Services)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,talk.abortion
Subject: Re: Best for Others?
Message-ID: <2617@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 4-Oct-86 15:41:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.2617
Posted: Sat Oct  4 15:41:44 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Oct-86 10:02:17 EDT
References: <2710@burdvax.UUCP> <5833@ut-sally.UUCP> <311@isieng.UUCP> <51@oliveb.UUCP>
Reply-To: mberkley@watdcsu.UUCP (Mike Berkley - DCS, University of Waterloo)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 36
Xref: linus talk.religion.misc:407 talk.abortion:84

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In article <51@oliveb.UUCP> trash@oliveb.UUCP (Tom Repa) writes:
>Does "wanting the best for others" mean forcing  your opinions of what 
>is best  for them on them?

I believe that you ARE free to choose what is best for you, however
with every choice there are consequences.  If you decide that it is
in your best interests to rob a bank, then you are free to do so.
However, there are consequences to that action.  Those consequences
are enforced by society to protect the innocent.

Having sex makes you responsible for the consequences.  Having
an abortion is only an attempt to lessen the natural consequences
of that act.  Unfortunately, this involves the life of the one person
who is not guilty of anything: the baby.  "wanting the best for
others" means wanting the best for the child, not cutting him or
her off from life before birth.  Thus society should try to protect
this innocent little one.

So what about the mother and her rights?  In my opinion, she chose
to forgo those rights when she chose to have sex.  She should abide by
the consequences of her decision.  If she decides to abort her baby,
then she chooses another set of consequences, far worse than carrying
the baby to term.  I'm not talking about "Eternal" consequences, but
consequences right now: guilt and remorse, sterility, etc.,etc.

Do I sound high and mighty?  Yes.  What right do I have to dictate
what is right and wrong?  None.  But the truth still does not change.
I am not going to force anything upon an unwed mother, but abortion
is not the "best" thing to do for the baby or for the mother.

Mike Berkley

(PS - Please note, I'm talking about those cases where two people have
decided freely to have sex and have had "an accident;" I'm not
making a general statement about any other situation.)