The horror of abortion is one that is always unfathomable for me. From the sudden loss of innocent human life to the trauma that plagues affected mothers in the years following it, I believe abortion only destroys lives.
Last Sunday marked the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, a day when the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had a right to decide the lives of countless unborn children. Just a year before the decision, the liberal Justice Brennan noted that our society was one that “strongly reaffirmed the sanctity of human life.”
It only took a year until he ate those words, thereby establishing a new leftist precedent. While several recent Supreme Court cases have dealt with the issue of abortion, none have truly overturned this critical decision — one that defined a new “norm” for American society.
Without even going into the messy areas of jurisdiction, it seems unreasonable that any governmental body should determine the point of human “viability.” If an elderly man reaches a point where he cannot provide for himself without assistance, does that mean he’s not alive? The only safe assumption we can make is that life begins at conception and the least we can do is give these babies the benefit of the doubt.
Undoubtedly, the improvements of prenatal technology have been able to offer enhanced images of the unborn in the earliest stages of pregnancy, clearly depicting human life in its most basic form, and disproving any claims against this argument. In fact, about 90 percent of women decide to go to term after looking at their baby in a modern ultrasound. In other words, the liberal counsel given by organizations like Planned Parenthood does nothing other than hide the ugly truth from their young, needy clients, as they turn abortion into a moneymaking industry.
Then again, Planned Parenthood was founded by eugenicist Margaret Sanger, who once argued that “birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race” (“Women, Morality, and Birth Control”). Isn’t it comforting to know that a government-subsidized organization has such an incredible legacy of helping the underprivileged?
Most of us rarely think of abortion as a big issue on college campuses. We don’t typically hear about it unless we know someone who has had to make this decision. However, approximately 45 percent of abortions nationwide are obtained by college-age women (“Arizona Right to Life”). And the rate in California is even higher. College-age women are more susceptible to the unique social pressures surrounding them, as well as the daunting thought of motherhood.
Amidst all of these pressures, many who seek abortions are never informed of the devastating psychological side effects of this procedure. From nightmares to hallucinations to even perceived visitations from their aborted child, it is far more than a “simple procedure.” And physically, an abortion can threaten a woman’s health.
Unsurprisingly, all of the current GOP candidates stand in favor of life. It is an issue that remains at the core of the conservative conscience, and one that sets the foundation for all other values. After all, the Declaration of Independence lists “life” as the first of our “inalienable rights.”
We can only expect this to become a critical topic as the chosen Republican nominee faces off against President Obama. Obama has remained pro-abortion and has vowed to veto any legislation that would prevent the federal funding of abortions through Obamacare. Clearly, Obama has been playing it safe in following his party line. Pro-life liberals are such a slim minority these days that they are ultimately silenced within the Democratic Party. Has leftist ideology replaced both morality and common sense among the donkeys?
It is no wonder that Cardinal Raymond Burke openly stated that the Democratic Party “risks transforming itself definitively into a party of death.”
Time and time again, I hear the complaints from people on both sides of the aisle that this issue has no place in federal politics. This is likely true since there is no mention of abortion in the U.S. Constitution. But Roe v. Wade inevitably transformed it into a federal issue, and now we must face the consequences.
As Americans, we are given a great deal of choice. However, the so-called “right to choose” an abortion should not override the right to human life, and the state should always seek to defend this inalienable right.
If our nation’s leaders don’t protect life at all stages, who will?