From the July 6, 2022 issue of The Journal
When originally passed, the US Constitution did not mention the words "slave" or "slavery." However, in order to get it ratified in the slave states, a compromise was made to count each slave as three-fifths of a person when determining representation of the states and districts in the federal government. So, it was taken for granted that slavery was legal.
In 1857 the US Supreme Court ruled that slaves had no legal standing as people in court, as they were property. The Dred Scott v. Sandford decision was actually even worse than that. The court said that all blacks (slave or not) were without legal standing because they held that the US Constitution was not meant to include citizenship for people of African descent, even if they were born here.
A few years later the United States split and a bitter Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865. It continues to be the deadliest war for America in the history of the country. Around 625,000 soldiers were killed.
Shortly after the war, the issue of slavery was officially rectified with the passing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the 14th Amendment, which, among other things, stated that all persons born in the US are citizens.
Now, more than 150 years later, Americans look back at the history of the country and marvel at the fact that slavery was ever accepted. After all, the country was founded on the principal of God-given freedom and equality.
"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."
However, history is never that simple and the acceptance of slavery is a powerful example of how even God-fearing people in power can justify denying rights to those without power. They were considered "lesser," so they didn't figure into the equation. This belief was so widely held that even President Abraham Lincoln, who came to see slavery as evil, did not believe in racial equality. While debating prior to his presidential victory, he made that clear. For instance, he argued against blacks being able to vote, serve on juries, etc.
That was the accepted belief of the day; so much so that Lincoln said, "I have never seen, to my knowledge, a man, woman, or child who was in favor of producing a perfect equality, social and political, between negroes and white men."
It took many, many years, and many generations for America to finally accept and begin to live up to the ideals upon which it was founded.
However, America and the beliefs of Americans did change over time. As I mentioned earlier, now, when we look back at our history, it can be difficult to image there was a time when slavery and bigotry were so widely accepted.
I believe we are in the early stages of another huge shift in our country's collective norms and beliefs that will lead us back toward our founding principal of God-given freedom and equality.
Abortion is not mentioned anywhere in the US Constitution and runs counter to the founding principles of the nation.
In spite of it not being spoken of in the Constitution, in 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the Constitution protects the "liberty" to choose to have an abortion. Those who support abortion have praised the decision ever since and for almost 50 years it has been widely described as a "constitutional right."
However, it was an example of the highest court in the land inventing a "right" that neither the founders nor any US Congress had ever given. Even the left's celebrated Justice Ruth Baden Ginsburg saw the ruling as faulty. Her disagreements with the decision were more technical and based on legal nuances, but she knew it wasn't quite right.
Perhaps, that's because the whole founding of our country, and our laws, is based on God-given rights.
If we all have rights, then we all have rights. Just as it's absurd to think you can have a country in which all men are created equal, but it's acceptable to hold some of them in bondage, it's absurd to believe some can be killed. The latter is actually even worse, correct?
As modern medicine has progressed and become more adept at keeping people alive longer, it has also progressed to show us more about life in the womb. Look at images from the most advanced ultrasound technology and ask yourself if you're seeing a lump of cells or a person. It's been said that "seeing is believing" – have you seen?
I don't think everyone's eyes have been opened, but I think as a country we're at least starting to glance at the issue with a little honesty. I'm sure there will continue to be debate and some form of early term abortion will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
However, I believe we are shifting toward pro-life. I believe that as we learn more-and-more about early life inside the womb, that shift will continue.
I believe that 150 years from now Americans will look back at abortion and see it in a similar light as we now view slavery.