Thursday, May 13, 2010
Pro Choice (abortion)or Pro Life?
Rights of choice, right of privacy, the right of self defense, and other rights claimed by some can generally be supported by the 9th amendment to the US Constitution, which says:
"The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
This, however, does not permit people to act in a manner to deny others of their rights, such as the right to life. While the Declaration of Independence is not a part of the Constitution, it does enumerate certain rights the Constitution was designed to protect. We all know the language,
" 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 ...".
As to the issue of abortion, the big question is, "When does life begin?" Since the Constitution does not address this question, one will need to look elsewhere for the answer, and since the signers of the Declaration believed there is a Creator, the scriptures of the Old Testament recognized as being God inspired by the major religions of western civilization, would seem a proper place to find an answer.
The Book of The Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 1, verse 5, says:
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
This statement by the Creator to Jeremiah clearly says that life begins before conception , and, therefore, deserves to be protected by the government of a just society.
Editorial by Everett Slaughter
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2 comments:
Wow, that is a stretch. Rational people in 2010 do not depend upon the old testament for their scientific knowledge. While this is a complicated personal issue, it is a simple government issue: reasonable people disagree on the substance of the issue, so the government should not dictate the answer -- an answer that is one of the most personal and important that should be protected from government interference.
Oops, I forgot to mention the little matter that our Constitution protects us from the establishment of a state religion. So the laws of the land must be based upon rational arguments -- not religious belief -- even if that belief is held by the majority. This "first freedom" is one of the most important protections against tyranny in our Constitution. Thank goodness our Founding Fathers were wise enough to recognize that both religion and citizens deserved protection from entanglement.
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