From time to time my friend Mark Goldstein, a veterinarian, calls me to brainstorm about difficult animal-care decisions confronting him as director of the Los Angeles Zoo. This time he was faced with the dilemma of Nan, a teenage chimpanzee already saddled with a young son. The facility where they were housed was crowded, and it would be years before the new housing planned for them would be ready. Under the circumstances, the last thing that Nan needed was another infant, and she had been on contraceptives.
The contraceptives had evidently failed, because Nan now appeared to be nearing the end of her first trimester of pregnancy. Mark wondered about the wisdom of an abortion, which would have to be carried out soon if at all. What did I think?
My first reaction was: I’d hate to have your responsibility for deciding, but I think you’d better do it. Yes, ...
