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Upholding the American
Promise Part Three of Four
By Jonathan Rogers "Right to Life" is not a political label or short-hand for something unimportant. It is, rather, an expression of allegiance to the American identity at a fundamental level. That is worth remembering on Tuesday.
The American political body is consciously shaped out of the Western political tradition over two millennia old. It finds particular expression in the early modern allegiance to natural rights and the social contract. The American Constitution intentionally reflects the idea that free individuals must pay respect to the rights of others and must freely consent to live amongst one another in law and order. What does this have to do with our Movement? Everything. The "Right to Life" movement was founded so that the pro-life voice would echo across the country, politely but firmly, insisting that what we stand for represents the core of the American political tradition. In a real sense we believe with Ben Franklin that we hang together, or we hang separately. When we violate that admonition--as we have done by placing the unborn outside the circle of legal protection--we open the door to the possibility that other vulnerable categories of people will be cast out. It is no accident that euthanasia and assisted suicide have reared their ugly heads after Roe v. Wade was decided. To advocate for the "Right to Life" is to pay homage to the American credo that has shaped and guided the country for over two centuries. To advocate for the protection of the unborn child is to uphold the fundamental promise of the American dream. The American Medical Association lead the way in the enactment of laws in the second half of the 19th century to protect the unborn. As scholars have pointed out, this "Physicians Crusade" was driven by many forces but first and foremost because science had begun to unlock the mysteries of conception and fetal development. Today the biological case for the humanity of the unborn as an individual human being is not hard to make. As such, respect for the unborn fits very well into the American promise of the protection of the rule of law and respect for the rights of all individuals. With so many unborn lives at stake and the responsibility handed down to us both from tradition and nature itself to protect that innocent life, every election becomes a referendum on whether we will uphold that duty we have as Americans. We are, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure." Lincoln's words have an eerily literal prophetic quality to them. Every vote for the "Right to Life" is a vote both for protecting innocent life and for the future of the promise contained in every human life. So every vote cast for the pro-life candidate, every flier distributed to educate the potential voter, and all the time, toil, talent, and treasure spent every two years to determine whether this country will protect or disregard innocent life, is more than worth it. All of this is also an obligation. An obligation owed to our country as one "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." An obligation owed to the defenseless innocent among us. And an obligation owed to the future of the country also, so that no American should be disqualified merely by the accident of not yet having been born. Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
Politics
is the forum where a community of persons makes the decisions
which will shape our collective lives. Every political body
stands atop a mountain of tradition.