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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