Abortion issues spark quality of life debate
By Ronald J Rousseve
I tespitr thru different polit■
i .11 parts affiliations. Oregon's
two ( nntmuirrs lor 111 <• govn
worship Secretary "I State Hui
liara Roberts ami Attorney (Ini
eral I)avr I rohnmavei hase
both publiclv acknowledged
their pro i hon e positions on
the abortion issue.
Commentary
Most polls on the abortion
i ontrovers\ show about III per
i rut ot Amerii alls support legal
abortion under and i mum
stances during the earls weeks
iit pregnant v Sm li a statu e
places the pregnant woman's
right ol thoughtlulh i onsid
ered choice at love any ' rights''
said to be possessed bs dial
emerging i olotn ot biologic al
substance that is on its wax to
bet oming a human being
At the opposite end ol the
life i ontinuuin. the issue ot mi
tlianasta in the t ase ol older
adults xx ho are seeking a swiit
and gentle i unc lusion to lix es
which have bet nine hupelessls
miied in pain and meaningless
ness is also being examined
tr'inn a 'quality ol pmsniiliociii
prrspoi 11\ e
I'lie \ethmlands is a i uuntrx
xvhic li ac i epts the ethii s ol
dot tins assisting then patients
toward a less agonizing, more
gentle and dignified demise
Vs reported ret ifnt 1 \ (/ /)<' Krti
islcr tiiumi April d. in Dutch
society. based nn guidelines
carefully establislied liy their
i units m 1') i doctor may
prm eed with . i < 11 \ t > euthanasia
.iltiM .in older patient has made
repealed unambiguous re
quests' In lie relies t■<i tnnil .i
hopeless condition ot painful
iletei ior.ition whit h i mild
eveiitu.ile m i omplete hiss ot
t nut rul n! in mil .mil I ini Is
I believe it ( .in he shown
that 111 a pro t hoit e position
on I lie abort loll issue and i : a
statue slrnngly supportive ot
euthanasia in t in umst.uu es
like those just described uni
both he defended oil the basis
ol a quality ot life frame ot
re I ereiu e
1'hnse w ho make moral judg
meiits from a quality ol life
stance instead ot a "sanctity ot
life position, appeal to a set ot
t riteria for humanness m
persnnhood in order to esl.it)
lisli the hotindartes for quality
derision W hat is the esseiu e ot
pel sonhood’’ What functions
define a person'1 When do these
essential attributes emerge '
Inseph Tletihei emeritus
prolessoi ot hiumedii al ethu s
at the I imersity ot Vuginia
i (intends undeniably an em
hi y o oi tel us is i (imposed ol
by mg biologli a! I issue I lie
i rit i ( a I question is whether it is
reasonable to assign person
status to sin h primordial em
brsuitii <>i (cl.tl Iili’
When some dI (he qualities
ss Inch constitute .it tn.il
personhnod .He reviewed it is
tint difficult (o com hide that a
(eliis is .1 sub-personal omen
ism I’ersonhood stains ordinal
il\ implies some rudimentars
at livism nl the t erebral i orte\
(minimal intelligent el self
an axe lie*., a till . in n its some
i ap.n it \ !m i lion . and s h.iuge
a sense ol time and hiturits the
t apat it\ to comniunu ate w ith
and relate t aringh to others,
and the 1 ike
( leal Is the vital enabling tlv
i lain it in (he onset of
peisonhood is minimal i tde
luation I’m>i to the beginning
ot i erebral n ti\ its . dm mg the
earls weeks ol pregnants, the
developing emht'VO and tetlls
represent ends potential
persnllhood \i t oidinglv It is
si nip 11 st it to equate the
rights of such primitive life
w ith the rights ot the .it tual
pet son s\ lio is pregnant
Regarding the diltu nil ques
turns about svhen personhood
las i oust rued abuse) ai t tin I Is
emerges. I beiiesc ss e must tut 11
to the ssork ot eminent
embrsologisls like ( littord
I .l obstein ot the I Ills ersil s ol
( adifornia Sail Diego, tori Ian
(sing mini mat ion
t .1 obstein s s less s on this
topic were outlined in an in
sightful i i ms ers.it ion piet e
published in the Septeinbei
lUH'l issue ot l\u /io/ogv Id
i/iti I If has slated during lelal
ilt’Vf li ipnif lit from H tu III
weeks. the central nervous ->vs
11• ln is mi extremek immature
espei i,ilk tin- brain that
there si'fins nn possibilitv ot
awareness (inner experience!
I his suggests that it betore the
'll weak mark there is no possi
hilitv nl niininial psvi hu
awareness in the fetus, then it
makes nn sense to i hum the ter
minatiim ul a pregiuini v during
that early period represents the
killing ol i human being It hil
low s logli .ilk that the i hr Hi e i it
the pregnant woman during
that peril nl slu in li I ( out mile to
be protei tell i nnstilutionallv
Mm ing now to the other end
ol the life i onlmmmi it seems
to me what li.is been presented
abm e i oni erning a ipialit s i >1
peisonhooil perspective at the
hi ginill Ug ■ it tile life l \ l I e I .III
also lie applied to mature
adults whose deteriorating
<111.1111\ ol lilt* motivates them to
seek a dignified release Irom
the u rev eisihle agons ol mean
illgless dei line
When mature pssi hob>gn al
k heallln adults ale m the
prune ■ d then liv ev tiles esem
pills the i el,it is e human tun
timlmeiit getu’ialed hs having
| 1) .something to do. (1!} some
one or something to love, and
i i! something to Inipe for Hut
ss hat are their s table i him es
vvhi'ii even a modiiaim of lul
tillmeiil or satislai lion during
the waning sears ol lift* is no
longer a possibility vvlicii
,m\ semhlaru i* nf joy and inter
persona! fii^.igcmi'nl is gone ’
Already there is growing
support in \mrri< a for thr It*
^»al ri^ht ot < ompetent adults to
« boose to be disi oiiiifi ted Irom
th*1 let hnolo^ic al mai\ els of
modern medic me e\»'m
Ihouy’h a< tivatinu that option
will hasten drath lm sortie
even this p.issive form ot eutha
nasia is still a « outroversial
moiai issue, and unar^uahlv
the kind of active euthanasia
th.it is allowed urtdei i ei tain
i oml it mils in the \et her lands
is today strongly prohibited m
the I lilted States
I lowevei I behey e their are
both mnlii al situations and < u
i unistaiu es i it 'existential de
i line \v hn h i an diminish the
(|tia 111v <d an adult human he
nu;'s life to sin h an extent that
personhi rod (as « • mst i ued
abm e i has all hut d isappeared
In tile tat e ot that k llld ot pel
solid! dimmishmeiit the t hole e
ot an unproloimed and painlr-s
exit irom life b\ a sane adult
may he the most t ompassionate
and sensible was to at hic\e re
lease from an iffeversihlv hope
less state
\I trot h ends ot the life » \ i le
i ji tat it y (>f pei sonhoot 1 is an in
dispensable slandaid lor mak
inj4 responsible imUments
about t (intimi.iiK e and dis
< out i miain e
Kim,iltl I Htmssr\'r is a />ro/rs
so/ o/ ( mmsvlin# /'mi hnlo^\
Freedom
In response to lari (iosnel I
|f)/)/' Slav 111 lust I»m ,HISI- .1
1» ink is the u nrld's must pop
uliit doesn't mean it lias the
nelit t.i take aw.tv i person's
freedom of i hoii e and expres
sum
)eff Sparks
Student
Lost out
In response tu K.irl (lO.snrii s
ictlri [ODl May 11). referring
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•
l in tin- Kt'Vtst't! Standard \ in
mu in, Romans 1 Jt> mails 1 m
this mason (.ml gavr them ii|
iii dishonorable practices I heir
women c\i hanged natural rela
lions tor the unnatural hven
it tills passage docs reter III till
mnsexualitv in referring In .1
single 1 el sc von inn e onh ell
compassed lesbians Sorr\ I in I
Vutl just losl ball ot the people
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• [;|j Don't take things out of
context I tie particular passage
tills verse ( nines from starts at
Romans I in with t or the
wrath ot t aid is revealed ffOiri
heaven against all ungodliness
and wickedness among men
who In then w u keilness slip
THI FAR SIDE By GARY LARSON
L
_a
i
j
Punk accountants
press tin? truth This portion
of I’,nil's letter refers to the
t.entiles (tin1 unbelievers) .mil
spet tin .ills those "u ho In
their u u kislness suppress the
I ruth U h.it the t ruth' m.n
lie here is open lor ilelmte, hut
it is ihiuhtllil this p.iss.ige rulers
to |oe (or |.iue| I lomosexu.iI on
i Alters
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