Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site oliven.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!oliveb!olivee!oliven!rap From: rap@oliven.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Infliction of beliefs, specifically abortion Message-ID: <316@oliven.UUCP> Date: Tue, 31-Jul-84 01:57:10 EDT Article-I.D.: oliven.316 Posted: Tue Jul 31 01:57:10 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 20:48:35 EDT Organization: Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca Lines: 39 . >At this point, it would seem that the right to choose to have an abortion >should exist if the fetus is not a person and has no rights, and should not >exist if the fetus is a person and has rights. Agreed? I think that I may have a situation in mind that would place doubt on that statement. --- >Rights don't exist because they are inherent in man or because God said so, >they exist by convention. [Thus, at this point in time, there is plain and >simply not a right to life for the unborn.] These conventions are made by >whoever is in a position to make them. In this country, it is the people >through their elected officials. This is a very true statement. However, let me relay this situation to you and tell me what you think of it. Lets say that you, Rick, and I are visitors from another world. (I have a reason for starting off with this.) We come to Earth as friends on a Holiday. We decide to go mountain climbing, and during the excursion, I happen to fall and damage both my kidneys. You, being the good friend you are, rush me to a hospital where the only living physician on ET biology informs you that the only way to save my life is for you to donate one of your kidneys to me. Its no big deal to us, your kidney would grow back in a few months anyway, but I don't have that long. Now, clearly, my life depends on you donating your kidney to me. But for whatever reason, you decide that you don't want to even though it would mean my life. Now, we have a situation where my right to life is directly dependent on you giving up your right to control what happens to your own body. In this case, which right prevails? My right to life, or your right to control what happens to your own body? -- Robert A. Pease {hplabs|zehntel|fortune|ios|tolerant|allegra|tymix}!oliveb!oliven!rap