[Vision2020] A Woman's Right to Choose (where she shops) Hangs
inthe Balance
Donovan Arnold
donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com
Wed Jan 18 15:20:48 PST 2006
Exactly what it says. No hidden message.
_DJA
J Ford <privatejf32 at hotmail.com> wrote: Just for the sake of clarification ONLY, what does this mean:
" I find it interesting that you believe so much in a woman's right to
choose to abort a fetus, OR ANOTHER DEVELOPING HUMAN..."
J :]
>From: Donovan Arnold
>To: Nick Gier , vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] A Woman's Right to Choose (where she shops) Hangs
>inthe Balance
>Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 14:18:15 -0800 (PST)
>
>Nick,
>
> I find it interesting that you believe so much in a woman's right to
>choose to abort a fetus, or another developing human, but yet at the same
>time oppose her right to shop at a store of her choosing, like Wal-Mart.
>
> It just seems ironic, doesn't it?
>
> Mind you, I am opposed to legally preventing abortion. But if I had to
>prioritize limiting a women's right to choice, it would be to limit her
>options to a kill a developing human being over that of where she buys
>hamburger buns.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> -DJA
>
>
>
>
>Nick Gier wrote: Greetings:
>
> Before this goes out to the usual venues, I wanted Visionaries to have
>a first read if they wish. If you find typos or more substantial points
>to debate, let me know. I'm glad that I can spell that last phrase better
>than Doug Farris.
>
> A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE HANGS IN THE BALANCE
>
> By Nick Gier
>
>
> During his confirmation hearings many Americans were relieved
>to hear that John Roberts believes that the Constitution contains a right
>to privacy. He also considers Roe vs. Wade to be “settled law.” In
>recent hearings to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court,
>Samuel Alito agreed with Roberts on the first point but not on the second.
>
> O’Connor is the author of the significant proviso “no undue burden,”
>which limits the state’s power to restrict a woman’s right to choose. In
>one decision O’Connor ruled that it was indeed an “undue burden” that a
>woman must get her husband’s permission to have an abortion. In a dissent
>in the 3rd District Court of Appeals Judge Alito argued that any state has
>a right to require a woman to do just that.
>
> A right of privacy is not specifically granted in the Constitution, but
>it is strongly implied therein. Americans have an inalienable right to
>hold their own beliefs, to act according to the dictates of their own
>consciences, and the “right . . . to be secure in their persons, houses,
>papers, and effects. . . ” (4th Amendment). The right of privacy follows
>from the basic American belief that people are autonomous beings, which
>means that they have a right to determine their own lives without
>government interference.
>
> During the Alito hearings there was grandstanding from both sides of the
>aisle, but the worst offender was Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. Coburn
>repeatedly said that the science of fetal development should compel the
>Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade. To bolster his argument Coburn
>added he had delivered 4,000 babies in his career as an obstetrician.
>
> I’ve taught over 6,000 students and I hope that they have better
>reasoning skills than the good senator. Coburn stated that the early
>fetus has brain waves and a heart beat, but animal fetuses have these as
>well. What makes humans morally and legally different from animals is
>that they are persons, not just biological entities.
>
> Our moral, religious, and legal tradition has held that persons are
>rational beings, who are able to determine their own lives significantly
>different from the ways they guide their children or control their
>animals. Several footnotes to Roe vs. Wade reference this long tradition,
>and I believe that the justices had sufficient reason to rule that the
>early fetus is not a person.
>
> At the beginning of the third trimester, the fetal brain undergoes
>explosive brain development. At 25 weeks the brain cells are very poorly
>connected and the neocortex, the center of higher brain function, is
>undeveloped. At 33 weeks those same cells have thousands of connections
>and the neocortex has the six layers of the mature brain.
>
> This brain is significantly different from most animal brains, which can
>form the physical basis for protecting the legal rights of a “beginning
>person,” a being with a serious moral right to life. This argument is far
>superior to fetal viability, a criterion that, as Senator Coburn pointed
>out, is vulnerable to technological advances in preserving the lives of
>premature fetuses. Fetal brain development will not change except for
>major and immoral genetic engineering.
>
> My argument gives expectant mothers the same six months’ freedom from
>state interference but with a stronger legal foundation. The is also a
>nice logical symmetry between starting a person's life at this point and
>then legally ending it when the brain no longer functions. It’s also
>imperative to note that 88 percent of all American abortions occur within
>13 weeks of conception, long before any major elements of a person's life
>develops.
>
> Anti-abortionists claim that abortion causes health problems for women
>who submit to them. These same people, however, do very little to support
>the social services and accurate information that would make abortions
>safer, earlier, and rarer, as is the case in most other industrialized
>countries. For example, in Belgium and the Netherlands there are 7
>abortions per 1,000 women as opposed to 23 per 1,000 in the U.S.
>
> The most horrendous effects on female health are found in countries that
>do not allow reproductive freedom, and the Bush administration’s
>restrictions on family planning in foreign aid are making this problem
>worse. With a little over half the population, Brazilian women have more
>abortions than American women do. Eastern Europe has the highest rate in
>the world: a staggering 90 unsafe abortions per 1,000 women. Generally
>speaking, the rate of abortion appears to be directly proportional to the
>restrictions placed on sex education and reproductive freedom.
>
> As we acknowledge the 33rd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on January 22,
>we should heed the heed the results of a recent Harris Poll: 70 percent
>said that they would oppose Alito if he intends to overturn this landmark
>decision. The choice for America is clear. We can continue to protect a
>woman’s right to determine her own life, or we can deny her this right and
>force her to face unhealthy and sometimes deadly alternatives to safe,
>legal abortions.
>
> Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for
>31 years. For more on the topic see
>www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/abortion.htm.
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Yahoo! Photos – Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover
> Photo Books. You design it and we’ll bind it!
>_____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
_____________________________________________________
List services made available by First Step Internet,
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
http://www.fsr.net
mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Photos
Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20060118/524f6a06/attachment.htm
More information about the Vision2020
mailing list