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Dear Dr. Olson, I'd rather debate this on a first name basis- as a fellow PWP and health sciences professional but if you prefer to be more formal I will do so. I am sorry to hear about the problems you went through with your schizophrenic first wife and your daughter's pregnancy which was terminated. While from my viewpoint it was a reasonable thing to do under the circumstances, I can appreciate- coming from the strong right to life position that you do- you must feel tremendous guilt and pain. I guess I feel that it is not my place to tell you how you should feel. That is between you, and your God- no matter how you conceptualize Him. I can't tell you what to feel but I can let you know what I think.. But the ultimate solution has to be between you and your God. In the same way if my daughter had an abortion that I participated in, my participation would need to be resolved between me and my daughter and me and my God. It is no body else's business . Unfortunately there is no clear time when HUMAN life begins. I cannot believe that a single cell zygote, or a 3 month fetus is a person with the same humanity as a 3 year old child.. Society is severely divided over the issue. You certainly have the right to try to convince me of your position if I am willing to listen. You may even feel you have the duty to try. I can accept that. When, however you interfere with a woman's choice to have an abortion you interfere with her right to come to her resolution of her relationship with God. In a pluralistic society this come close to my definition of SIN. I appreciate the desire to limit the possibility that others would go through the same experience that you had to endure but you need to realize that limiting others' options is not your duty or even your right. If I choose options that by your view is sending me to eternal damnation and I don't want to listen to you it is MY PROBLEM. I do recognize that if you believe that am committing murder that gives you added urgency but please try to realize that many of us from different backgrounds don't see it that way. Perhaps I can use some examples that might hit home. I presume you were a vet in the USDA involved in meat inspection. Animal rights people attack you as a murder of defenseless life. Do they have the right to stop you from doing your job which you see as providing safe meat for our tables? From their position you are a murderer. If you are participating in the distribution of pork products you are conceivably violating Hebraic and Muslim law. You bring up another point about assisted suicide. When life is at its terminal phases medical science often has in its power to prolong pain and suffering of both the dying individual and their family for years. MY death is between God, me, my family and my physician. I have a living will and my wife knows what my preferences are if I am unable to make the choice. Every day in every hospital decisions are made as to whether to prolong life. One of the greatest obscenities in recent months was when the Governor of Virginia- playing to his far right constituency inserted himself in between a dying patient, his family and his doctor attempting to "protect" the dying man from his evil family and doctors. Dr. Olson, I hope and pray that your faith relieves the guilt that you harbor and that you don't torture yourself. I won't try and interfere with your relationship with your God but please don't try to interfere with mine and please don't sanction the interference in fetal cell research. I wish you well. Charlie CT Meyer, MD "William H. (Bill) Olson" wrote: > Dr. Meyer, Dr. Barber, Mr. Carvelho and Barbara Mallut and all: > Just because they are too weak to protest does not make it right for > the unborn to be painfully destroyed in their mother's womb. But I > cannot afford to cast any stones at anyone. > It was around the year 1969 that my first wife and I had a difficult > decision to make. One of our daughters, a high school girl, came to us > asking for our help in getting an abortion. She and her boyfriend had > just made an attempt to get this done in Missouri. several 100 miles > from our home in northern Iowa. It was not legal as yet in Iowa, and > there was some problem yet in getting it done in Missouri. My wife had > been under treatment for schizophrenia for a number of years, and our > 5th and last child was only ten. I got airplane tickets for my wife and > daughter and made reservations for them at the Holiday Inn in New York > City and was thankful when they got home safely. In some ways this story > ends happily because the young couple were married as soon as she > graduated from nursing school, and they have had three healthy children > since then. But I suppose I will always wonder about one grandchild that > I never saw. > > I hope that none of my pro-choice friends have that on their > conscience. but I am so sorry that abortion became an option. If it had > not been available. we would have managed. So that is why I would like > to see the day when abortion is extremely rare. and allowed only for > truly life threatening situations. I was weak enough then to take > advantage of anything the law allows. > > That is why I finally realized how much I needed a savior and made a > heartfelt committment to turn my life over completely to his care. For > those who believe that there is a God who made and loves each of us; it > only seems logical that God should make the life and death decisions. > > I really feel sorry for the physicians of this country who live in a > state that legalizes assisted suicide. Surely the responsibility and > burdens they carry will be even more overwhelming if they get involved > with the deliberate ending of life also. We may be on the proverbial > slippery slope becoming more and more the society of death. Who will > protect all of us Parkinsonians from those who think we are becoming too > costly for the system to bear. We may find ourselves targeted for death > without our permission. Our best opportunity to reverse this trend is > having more respect for all life. > > Well there you have it, my confession; I do not know any better way to > try to get my point across. I have been there and done that!! > > Bill Olson, 68, 1983, 1980