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Townhall...
Personal Liberty 101
By Mike Adams
“Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the
right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise
the question of whether we are here concerned already with a human
being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that
God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent
human being has been deliberately deprived of its life. And that is
nothing but murder.” – Dietrich Bonheoffer.
Over the course of the last two weeks I have had conversations with two
men who claim to be conservative but who also steadfastly defend a
woman’s right to choose abortion. In both cases, the self-proclaimed
conservative asserted that the government has no right to tell a woman
what to do with “her” body. One went so far as to say that a government
that could outlaw abortion could also re-institute slavery.
Support for a so-called constitutional right to abortion is completely
at odds with conservatism. In fact, when you hear a “conservative”
claiming to support abortion rights you can be certain that the
individual simply does not understand basic conservative principles. In
all likelihood the pro-abortion-choice “conservative” adopts the label
because of self-interest. Perhaps he makes good money and does not want
to pay high taxes. What makes a person human does not necessarily make
him conservative.
When you suspect you are talking to a pseudo-conservative there are
usually two questions you can ask that will either confirm or
disconfirm your suspicions immediately.
First and foremost, it is important to ask the self-proclaimed
conservative the following: “Do you believe in the inherent ‘goodness’
or ‘perfectibility’ of mankind.” If you hear a “yes” you are talking to
a liberal. If you hear “Did you mean to say ‘person-kind’?” you are
talking to a feminist. (So end the conversation as quickly as
possible!).
If you hear the right answer to question one, you can move on to
question two: “Does man get his rights from other men?” If you hear a
“yes” you are talking to a liberal. If you hear “Did you mean to say
‘persons’” you are still talking to a feminist. (I thought I told you
to end the conversation as quickly as possible!).
Roe v. Wade was (and is) a deeply flawed ruling because it is
predicated upon the notion that man can grant rights to man not granted
to him by God. The distinction between the first, second, and third
trimesters was not based upon any long-standing legal doctrine. Nor was
it based upon solid and reliable medical evidence. It was simply based
upon identity politics.
Harry Blackmun, author of the majority opinion in Roe, once said “I no
longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.” That was from his
opinion in a death penalty case. But Blackmun also said that our
“Constitution compels abortion on demand.” That basic human rights
should be assigned in such an arbitrary manner does lend credence to
Blackmun’s characterizations – made in a different context - of the
Justices as “eccentrics” and “prima donnas.”
The authors of our Declaration of Independence - as well as the Framers
of our Constitution – had a very different view of the origin and
assignment of basic human rights. Lest we forget: “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 - To secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed …”
Medical technology has come a long way since 1973. It has told us what
we knew in our hearts all along; namely, that abortion, regardless of
the trimester in which it is performed, constitutes a deprivation of
life initiated by our Creator.
Ultrasound technology allows us a better view of the target of the
procedure known as abortion. It takes little intelligence to understand
that something that is moving (and growing) is indeed alive. Technology
also shows us that a new heart is beating within a month of conception.
Surgical abortions are not even performed until 6 to 7 weeks into the
pregnancy.
This issue is important as the conservative movement seeks in future
elections to make inroads among blacks, Hispanics, and younger voters.
It is important because all three of these groups have something in
common: They are clearly pro-life on the issue of abortion.
Younger voters are moving in the direction of life simply because they
are the first generation to grow up with basic access to and
familiarity with ultrasound technology. With the help of this younger
generation, which now responds to opinion polls, the country passed the
50% mark in opposition to abortion just two years ago.
So it would be politically disastrous for the conservative movement to
compromise on abortion. We are in the enviable position of being out in
front on an issue that is consistent with both our political goals and
our deeply held principles. Leave it to the opposition to argue that
men have endowed us with an unalienable right to stop a beating heart.
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