h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sacrifice was a 'go straight to paradise' card.



Everyone else had to go to the Aztec version of purgatory (which looks a lot worse than our hells).

Unless of course you died in combat, died whilst trading overseas, or died in childbirth - in which case you get the 'go straight to paradise' card.

One of their more major gods (can't remember the name) was disabled.

Imaginative bunch,
Great Sculptures,

Love to all

Here is a response to the film I mentioned earlier:

"Showing shock TV images of an aborted foetus is a political act. The other side of the story is unwanted births and ruined lives"

Quite refreshingly, the writer doesn't refer to anti-abortinists as 'pro-life'.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1195633,00.html


az

Thanks Az, that was a very good article to read. It's always a relief to see such articulate involved writing making it to the mainstream media.

Last semester I wrote an essay on the abortion issue in American politics. interesting, the National Right to Life Committee ( http://www.nrlc.org ) who refer to themselves as pro-life, rather than anti-abortion, state in their mission statement- http://www.nrlc.org/Missionstatement.htm - that "The committe does not have a position on issues such as...capital punishment".

Well, if they were "pro-life" and supported everyone's right to life, they'd be agaionst it, surely. Because it's depriving someone of life.

I really can't understand single-issue groups being referred to with such a wide-ranging term "pro-life", when they are in fact campaigning *exclusively* on the abortion issue.

I'd suggest anyone with an interest tries the "Listen again" feature to hear this morning's "Today" programme, particularly the "Thought for the Day" bit, which was today by the well known novelist and idiot, Ann Atkins, who like so many anti-abortionists, simply cannot understand that if a woman who is pro-choice chooses not to have an abortion, that that is NOT in some way hypocritical.

THAT'S WHAT THEY MEAN BY CHOICE, idiot.

Egon,

<>

Or when the life of a foetus is seen as being more important than the one of the pregnant woman.

az

<>

No difference to pro-choice word being used when it is exclusively referring to choice-for-the-woman on abortion issues

<>

However, the life of the foetus is used by pro-choice-for-the-woman supporters in arguments why they shouldn't be forced to bring an unwanted child into the world that wouldn't be loved or part of a nuclear family to strengthen the case for an abortion wanted by the mother with no medical grounds.

I have never had to make the decision.

I guess none of you have ever had to either.

Correct me if I am wrong.

I have never had to contemplate an abortion, and find it a difficult one to consider.

Why would any of us need to consider an abortion? We have precautions?

"I guess none of you have ever had to either."

huge assumption to make

"Why would any of us need to consider an abortion? We have precautions?"

precautions? against what? Against becoming poregnant, sure. But ewhat about illnesses to pregnant women which mean childbirth would leave both the mother and child with little chance of survival? What precautions are there aginst that?

Or against rape?

Fair enough,

I do agree with abortion on medical grounds - hell I wouldn't exist if it weren't for that.

I wish I could just have a brief chat with you:I think we would get on just fine.

If you come over to my personal space I'd be delighted to have a brief chat with you.

hey gardarene

>>>I have never had to make the decision.
I guess none of you have ever had to either.
Correct me if I am wrong.
I have never had to contemplate an abortion, and find it a difficult one to consider.
Why would any of us need to consider an abortion? We have precautions?
<<<

It's always good to check out assumptions before posting statements based on them. Reading at least some of the backlog in a thread is a good idea too.

~~~

Here are some statistics about the failure rates for various contraception. Some people seem to be under the (incorrect) impression that there are forms of contraception that are 100% effective, and/or inherently safe.


This is the FDA site with description, failure rates, and includes some of the side effect risks associated with various contraceptives (notable ommission is the increased risk of cancer associated with the Pill):

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html


Theoretical failure rates compared to actual failure rates:

http://www.ecofuture.org/pk/pkbc01.html


Another look at the rates:

http://www.smartersex.org/contraception/efficacy_chart.asp

<>

Yes, the term pro-choice *does* refer exclusively to the issue of pregnancy terminations. I don't think anyone here has ever said otherwise. And yes, the 'choice' refers to the woman's choice.

The term 'pro-life' is misleading because it refers to anti-abortionists who focus only on the life of the foetus, not on the life of the woman.


az

hi gadarene,

<>

What?

<>

I find that remark not only arrogantly presumptuous but also personally insulting. As has already has been suggested, you should read what has previously been written here before making wild assumptions like this.

<>

*walks away shaking head in disbelief*

az

Hey, its ok, its just an ill-informed opinion, not a personal attack. Stay happy .

Hey sorry guys.

It is a highly emotive issue, and I posted thoughtlessly.

My reference to my not being here was down to the fact that my mother would have had died had she not had an abortion, before my birth.

So, sorry to everyone - I should realise I actually have quite a lot of emotional baggage about this issue, and probably shouldn't have posted in the first place.

If I post again just ignore me.

Profuse apologies.

hi gadarene,

I think a lot of people who post here are emotional about the topic. Not a reason to stop posting or be ignored by anyone. But perhaps having a bit of a read before posting again would be a good idea.


az

Youu're sucha sweetie az.

Not sure where you all live but there's not much chat about UK's Channel 4 programme since it's broadcast. They were showing scans in 3D of life inside the womb. The foetus at I think 10 weeks onwards.

By the 20 week stage , you would have been able to pick your baby out compared with what it looks like once delivered - facial features in great detail. DOesn't this bring it home to people how the life of this form surely should have a chance to live ?

An abortionist was saying that when he has the choice, he will dismember the body before aborting and putting into the bicket at his feet as it is less distressing for the woman compared to seeing the perfect form taken out.

The program was not biased up to the point that I saw it (sorry it was too distressing). Although the presenter was pregnant, she had had an abortion and was saying she was pro-choice and had no regrets about her abortion. It had the usual reports of extreme activists and how they use offensive and shocking posters in protest against abortions but also young, balanced individuals females (of which there are some of us) talking about abortion.

It also stated that abortion is legal up to the 24th week here in the UK, without stating that it had to be endangering the mother's life. Now it did say that only I think 1% are performed after 21 weeks but certainly not that all after 12 were on medical grounds.

Pro-choice-for-the-mother-ers surely should have a start date on when they think the feotus has rights. The reply I got earler was along the lines of elective abortion is not legal after 12 weeks (see above for my confusion on the validity of this) and 'whether I regard a less than 12 week old feotus as having human rights is IMHO a matter of personal opinion. Very woolly answer.

I wonder if anyone saw the program, forced themselves to acknowledge the life forms on the screen rather than continue to dismiss the idea that a feotus of any age is any sort of life compared to the mother until born. They were very powerful images that should make people think further than the woman is the only one who should decide to give life or not.