It is an ironic thing: the same armchair activists and corporate giants that spent the month of June tripping over themselves in their efforts to demonstrate their rainbow-covered inclusivity and tolerance, are now viciously denouncing the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
But alas, consistency has never been a hallmark of the human race. Still, I marvel at the hypocrisy of those allegedly concerned with human rights. How exposing kindergarteners to sexual deviancy is acceptable, but fighting for the right to life of those same children — when they were inutero — would be an affront to human rights is beyond me. The founders made it clear that they believed human rights were inherent and God-given. In Lloyd Schinnerer’s eighth grade history class, we were required to memorize the opening lines of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, words Americans would do well to consider today... “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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...” Unfortunately, throughout American history, there have been grievous times when, far from securing these rights, our government has denied them from a segment of society. The notable examples of slavery and discrimination against Japanese and black Americans come to mind. But, thankfully, Americans have proven, at least at times, to be a repentant bunch, eager to recognize their national sins and to make strides toward reconciliation. It seems to me that the reversal of Roe v. Wade, like that of Dred Scott v. Sandford and Plessy v. Ferguson, far from being an affront to American ideals and human rights, is a partial rectification of a past wrong. Why, then, do so many voices decry this victory for human rights? Ultimately, it is because they demand absolute autonomy, no restraints. They, with Henley, wish to believe, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” Or, to put it in the modern vernacular, “My body, my choice.” Of course, a nation that will not be restrained by truth and divine authority will have a hard time finding justification for its rights. If the basis of our rights is anything other than that they were given by God, then they cannot be unalienable. Thus, Roe v. Wade, a decision made in the wake of a national rejection of its Judeo-Christian foundation, was a fabrication of rights, not a recognition of those inherent to every person. This is the problem the pro-abortion crowd faces today. For nearly 50 years, they looked to the Supreme Court as their law-giver and to Roe v. Wade as their oracle from on high. But rights granted by man can be rescinded just as easily. This they learned when, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court said what it should have said five decades ago – namely, that the Constitution nowhere guarantees, or even speaks of, a right to an abortion. As for me, I wish this reversal reflected a change of the American heart toward righteousness. But I do not believe any such change has taken place. Rather, the reversal of Roe v. Wade is the result of a court that rightly seeks to interpret the Constitution as written; but not because of a nation bent on doing right. Indeed, the question of whether unborn children can be murdered in their mother’s wombs is still being entertained, albeit at the state level. Many states will undoubtedly enact radical laws that endanger the lives of unborn children and their families, and as long as the current administration is in power in Lansing, Michigan may be among them. Still, my family and I join millions of Americans in enjoying this one, sweet moment. This moment that ensures, at least in some parts of the Union, that many children will be spared the tragic fate that 63 million others were not. This moment when America got it right.
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AuthorTy Perry is a writer based in metro-Detroit. Archives
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