O'Connor on Abortion

There's a cry from the places where Salient's read, 'Abortion is back with a centre-page spread'.

Yes, the cry thunders out to the men on the hill,

'Let no-one deny our dear Libby her Bill'.

'Excuse me.' I said, in a whispering breath.

'But isn't it wrong to put babies to death?'

'But a foetus ain't human' she said, 'are you deaf?

'Foetus don't start with an 'h' - its an 'f'..

I answered: 'I see the distinction you've drawn,

But what the hell was I before I was born?'

She said: 'You defied sociological ken,

For society hadn't defined you by then.'

'I see; so to sum up it seems that we've got

That society says if I'm human or not.'

She nodded: 'Remember, it bears repetition.

That babies aren't born - they achieve definition.'

Well, if you think society fits that girl's bill,

You can stuff your society - you probably will.

For its clear their whole concept is wav out of skew

Their conception is thirty-nine weeks overdue.