This past Sunday marked the 50th anniversary since the Roe v. Wade decision effectively created a right to abortion. The intentional killing of unborn humans, boys and girls, was declared to be a right by the Supreme Court some 50 years ago. Over the 49 years that it was in effect, over 60,000,000 babies were legally killed in the womb. If we took 1 second of silence for each life lost, we would be silent for over 694 days. Thankfully, this past Sunday also marked the first time we could celebrate that Roe was not in effect for another year. But, while we celebrate, we have a lot of work to do.
One job is to remember that each person has a God-given right to life. Vice president Kamala Harris was in Tallahassee this past week to give a speech about how we must make it legal for women to be able to have their children's lives ended if women are to be truly free. In her speech, she said that our nation's founding document (the Declaration of Independence) guarantees the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But, glaringly absent from her retelling was the first right enumerated in that document: LIFE.
We must ask, "Can we have a right to liberty without a right to life?" No, life is the foundational right upon which all others stand or fall. Abortion rights advocates, like Kamala Harris, have an unstated premise in their arguments. Namely, they believe that only a particular class of people have the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is only those who choose to allow to live. Those in the womb are in a different class - they are too weak, too small, too dependent, and too vulnerable to have a say in all this. So, these advocates conveniently leave off the right to life. For them, the conversation about rights is only for those who are strong enough to put their rights above those who do not have a voice.
The declaration of independence rightly recognizes that the right to life is given to us by our Creator. In a culture that is increasingly hostile to the idea of a Creator, is it any wonder that life is devalued? As Christians, we have an essential job. We must remind people that God is the Creator and that he gives life. He has made all people in his image; thus, every life, no matter how small or dependent, is worthy of dignity and care. Our right to liberty is not some unfettered form of self-indulgence as our culture seems to think. That is nothing more than bondage and violence in disguise. Liberty is given so that we might respect life. As Christians, we point people to Jesus who alone can truly give us life, freedom, and happiness.
A Resource
The Legal Docket Podcast (produced by the World News Group) had two episodes on "Overruling Roe." The first episode followed how the Dobbs case made it to the Supreme Court. The second episode, which I highly recommend, presents the case that was made.
