From: Pele@yabbs
To: scar@yabbs
Subject: re:abortion
Date: Tue Jul 19 13:06:55 1994

Hey Scar, 
I generally make it a point not to get involved in politcal/religious
debates and let's face it abortion is as politcal and religious as you
get.  I do have however an opinion and since you asked I'd like to tender it.
Personally, I have reservations about the right of anyone to take
another life (actual or potential, a life is a life).  I, however have
never been pregnant and I will never pretend to know what it is like for a
woman who is pregnant.  As a result I have always said that this is one
law that we should leave out of the laws of man and to the laws of God.  
There is one other law that I thought that abortion should be left
up to.  That is the laws that you govern your own life by.  By that I mean
if a woman can live with the decision to abort a child (her reasons are
her own) then it is not up to me to condemn or praise her for her
decision.  It doesn't change the way that I look at her not does it make
me think any less of her.  I leave her up to her own consience (Sp?) and
her belief system, if she has one.
There is one thing, however that makes your situation unique (at
least to me).  You had no say in the matter. You weren't given an
oportunity to talk about it.  It takes two to make a baby (unless you're
talking artificial ensemination in which case if she had an abortion I
think she has deep problems!) so it should be two involved in the decision
to take that baby's life.  I would think that if I got a woman pregnant
and she had an abortion BEFORE she told me she was pregnant that I
wouldn't be able to stay with her another minute.  She terminated a life
that I helped create without even consulting me!  I would be enraged!
I know that there are sexist women (excuse me, feminists) out
there who will say that it is not a man's place to tell a woman what to do
with her body and that he can't possibly understand what it is like to
have a baby inside you and therefore he has no right to make a personal
comment on the matter!  I disagree.
Women have no idea what it is like to be an expectant father.  I
never was one but I can identify with a lot of my friends who have been. 
It is a team that makes a child and therefore if the death of that child
is determined to be a course of action, then it should be the team that
makes that choice.  I know that there are situations in which it would be
unfair to the child to bring it into the world but I have always believed
that everyone has a right to life.  Now.  I don't push this idea on others
I simply have it.  If my girlfriend gets pregnant I have every intention
of coersing her to not have an abortion and I don't want anyone telling me
that I'm wrong.  I may be wrong for you but it is right for me.  I don't
tell you what to do so don't tell me.
God!  I didn't realize how long-winded I could be!  Well that's
all I have to say. I welcome any comment as long as it doesn't get personal!


Pele