Opinion- The court’s decision is the court’s burden on the pro-life movement!
It appears that politics has reached its limits. Democracy cannot satisfy the moral disposition of a people as diverse as the people of the United States. We should not be surprised that this is an issue, though, for many of us understand that this country was not supposed to function in a purely democratic way. Regardless, I think this is the perfect opportunity to step back and ask the one question at the root of this and most social-political issues: Do I want to share a country with these people? Regardless of your position on the subject, the answer to the question seems evident- No!
The great German Idealist G. W. F. Hegel was wrong. The state is not divine, and the law does not embody the spirit of the people. Undoubtedly, Spirit has fallen short of that Ideal in the United States because here, there is no spirit of the people.
Instead of simply rejoicing, I think it is vital that we remember the consequences of the SCOTUS decision today on Roe:
The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.*
Legally, this is the correct move. The fact that many Americans do not understand that the federal government should have no say in an individual’s bodily autonomy is outright pathetic and by design. So do not be surprised that politicians today, the day the decision was made public, are out in the streets, evoking an emotional response from those Americans. Avoid the spectacle!
As Liberty-minded individuals, we support the idea that freedom means the freedom to make mistakes. However, abortion is the line we dare not cross because doing so would mean the logical compromise of many of our other values, like the idea that we should protect all life and the family, to name only two.
We answer the question I posed above, knowing that what now follows from the decision today is the legalization of abortion in some states with no limitations. The court said:
Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. The court overrules those decisions and returns that authority to the people and their elected representatives.*
The return of abortion to the people means that we have to fight for the life of the unborn on a personal- and not legal- level. For us, though, because we value individual liberty, we do not use the force of government to dictate how others should live-even if the left does!
The court’s decision is the court’s burden on the pro-life movement! Because free individuals should not be forced to act morally, we must raise our children with an uncompromising conviction of our values; we must write books, give speeches, and live by example. In so doing, our hope remains that when the individual states take hold of their constitutional power to legislate on abortion, those states that protect life, family, and community thrive.
Conservative, be warned, as great as the memes may be, the burden of protecting life falls on you, not your government! Period.
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