New Pope don't rock

[Paul Mather]

On Thu, 2005-04-21 at 18:44 +0100, M Holmes wrote:
> Paul Mather writes:
>
> > I just read yesterday on the Grauniad that the US (at the urging of
> > Bush) has blocked the addition of certain abortion pills from the UN
> > list of "essential medicines."  It's estimated that this will sentence
> > approximately 68,000 women in poor countries to die every year from
> > complications of having surgical abortions in poor operating conditions
> > or using unsafe practices.
>
> Oh come on. It won't sentence anyone to anything. They could respond by
> just not having an abortion. Unless "sentence" is used in the context of
> "We made car protection a priority, thus sentencing erstwhile car
> thieves to the more dangerous pursuit of robbery".
>
> There are arguments both pro and anti abortion. The above isn't one of
> them.

First of all, my apologies.  I didn't realise that message was going to
the list; I thought it was going just to Iain Ferguson.  My original
message had been a private response to him, and I didn't realise until
it was too late that his response to that one had been on-list and my
reply was going there.  Secondly, stop talking such utter rubbish, Mike.
It gets tiresome.  I know you like to play dress-up iconoclast and be
deliberately contentious, but this is wearing a bit thin.  I'm surprised
you didn't trot out the old line of "well, if they hadn't got knocked up
in the first place..."  Pretty easy for a bloke to come out with "they
could respond by just not having an abortion."  If only all of our
problems could have such neat, easy solutions.

The fact is that denying a safer medical treatment will knowingly put
patients using the more dangerous one at greater risk (possibly
unbeknownst to the patient).  If you don't like the word "sentence,"
then substitute whatever you like in the statement "Restricting or
prohibiting the use of abortion pills will _____ approximately 68,000
women in poor countries to die unnecessarily every year."  Then, you
will be happy.  (Some suggested words to get you started: "oblige,"
"cause," "facilitate," etc.  Make up some of your own.)

I'm not going to get into one of your debates on BOC-L.  Before I know
it, you'll be saying something along the lines of "if people in poor
countries really wanted abortions and abortion pills, it'd be reflected
in their spending patterns, etc." boilerplate that often results.  Been
there, done that. :-)

Looking back at the genesis of this entire thread, I suddenly feel the
victim of an elaborate troll.

Cheers,

Paul.
--
e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

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