Abortion and our civil rights
Abortion is a Crime Against Humanity. In its Selfishness, its indifference to the Rights and Welfare of other people, and for the harm it does to our Moral Values, it is a crime against us all. In many ways Abortion can be compared to another great social evil - the Sin of Slavery. Slavery was an Immoral Institution that weakened the very foundations of our Civil Liberty and it is now universally condemned. And yet, the same arguments that were used to justify Slavery, are now being used to justify Abortion!
One argument in support of Abortion is that the (embryonic) Human Baby is "not a viable Being" and that it may be killed and its body disposed of at Will, with no regard for a Childs' Right to Life.
One argument in support of Slavery was that the Blacks are "inferior Beings" and that the White Race might take them captive and force them into Involuntary Servitude with no concern for their Civil Rights.
These arguments are not true; an embryonic Child is a living Person (Life begins at Conception not at Birth); and there is a higher sense of Justice, a purer form of Morality, that applies to us all. "WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness-" (Quote is from the Declaration of Independence, 1776.)
In their essence, the arguments in support of Abortion and Slavery assert that one person may inflict harm upon another - simply as a matter of personal convenience! They would violate the Sanctity of Life; reject our Common Heritage; deprive other people of their, God given, Civil Rights; and make a mockery of the concept of Equality.
Why are such self serving, anti-social arguments given credence in our Society? Is there no such thing as a Social Conscience? Can't we think beyond ourselves? Must selfishness rule our actions? Is there no place for kindness or compassion? Can't we learn to care about each other? Can't we learn to respect each other?
The Supreme Court of the United States is responsible for unleashing (the horror and the Genocide that is) Abortion upon our Society. The Supreme Court's decision in Roe versus Wade was wrong. The Supreme Court's position on Slavery was also wrong. In one of its most notorious decisions, the high Court ruled that Negroes were "beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race either in social or political relations; and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect, and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit." (Quote is from the Supreme Court judgement in the case of Dred Scott versus Sandford, 1857.)
The Supreme Court is guilty of Crimes Against Humanity (in its Dred Scott decision and in Roe versus Wade), it should be condemned for its past crimes, and its power to inflict more evil upon our Society needs to be curtailed. A Constitutional Amendment limiting the authority of the Supreme Court and making its decisions subject to a 2/3 Majority Review by the Senate needs to be enacted. We need to return to our nations Founding Ideals; the Ideals that made us strong and were admired by Freedom Loving People around the world; and we need to prevent the Federal Courts from making such mis-carriages of Justice in the future.
This Amendment is necessary.
A woman's right to control her own body, and to control her own destiny, is a fundamental part of the abortion controversy. We must respect a woman's Right of Self Determination!
In order to prevent unplanned pregnancies and also as a Public Health measure (to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted disease); Contraceptives and Birth Control Counseling should be made available at all Federal and Military Health Care Clinics throughout our country. Birth Control Counseling and Contraceptives should be made available for - FREE - to all sexually active adults. This service could be paid for with the money saved by ending all Abortion and anti-Abortion litigation, and by reducing the costs of treating sexually transmitted disease. (This service would also help to ease the Emotional Trauma associated with Abortion.)
We should respect a woman's needs. Becoming pregnant and having a baby, represents a life time commitment for her; a commitment she may not be willing, or able, to make. She deserves to have the Right of Choice; to decide when, or even if, she will become pregnant. Contraceptives offer that choice. To help a woman have control over one of the most crucial decisions of her life, we should make Contraceptives and Birth Control Counseling readily available to all. We need to show her that she is important to us, that her health and happiness matters, and that we will be there to help with this difficult decision. We need to show her that we care. Contraceptives show our sympathy for a woman's needs - they are one way of showing that we care.
In a Social Order founded upon Justice and a uniform application of the Law; all persons of that Society (regardless of their age) must be granted an Equal Protection of the Law. In a Society of Equals, a Child's Right to Life demands that Abortion be made Illegal.
What type of Society will we have...one based on cooperation and mutual respect or one based only on Self Interest? Will we put limits on what is considered to be acceptable behavior or will a person be allowed to conduct their own affairs with no regard for the Rights and Welfare of others? We can not, we must not, allow the Individual to disregard the best interests of our Community for their own self benefit. We must insist upon Individual Restrain for the Common Good.
There is no justifiable reason why Abortion should be legal; there are alternatives available to us right now that would allow us to prevent unwanted pregnancies; and that would answer the objections of those who are morally opposed to Abortion. We don't have to go to extremes to accomplish our goals. We have Contraceptives - we don't have to resort to Abortion for Birth Control.
What are we doing with our lives? What do we stand for? Are there any higher values to the things we do or does it all come down to just so much self-indulgence? Is this what we are living for? Can't we show some concern for other people? Can't we learn to live in harmony with each other? I pray we might look beyond our present circumstances and see ourselves as part of a kinder and more benevolent Community. To imagine that we are a part of a greater Family - the Family of all Mankind. I pray we will open our hearts to each other and that our love will be strong enough to embrace everyone, even the weakest and most humble among us. In the name of all that is decent, and for the sake of our children, I pray we might work together, and help each other, to put an end to this evil practice that is Abortion.
Unus Vocate is a Coeur d'Alene resident.