We Have Drawn a Line

Every year on this date, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we pause here at RedState to remember the fallen and renew our commitment to do everything within the confines of the lawful political process that may be done to end the greatest injustice that has ever been foisted on our society.

Advertisement

The Declaration of Independence reflects a truth held self-evident by the founders and every subsequent generation of Americans: that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  These principles were subsequently enshrined in the United States Constitution in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.  Twice in our nation’s history, arrogant and power-mad Supreme Court Justices have declared that certain humans are exempt from the promise of the Declaration and the guarantees of the Constitution.

In the first instance, in Scott v. Sandford, the Supreme Court drew a line and declared that those on the “slave” side of the line were entitled to no protection from the law, and could be treated with impunity by their masters. That slaves were human was beyond dispute; instead, the Court found solace in an artificial and tortured distinction which treated those humans belonging to the category of “slave” as a special kind of human that was not to be treated like the rest of humanity.

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court repeated the same exercise, this time engaging in spectacular mental gymnastics with the word “person”:

The appellee and certain amici argue that the fetus is a “person” within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. In support of this, they outline at length and in detail the well-known facts of fetal development. If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant’s case, of course, collapses, for the fetus’ right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the Amendment. The appellant conceded as much on reargument. . . . The Constitution does not define “person” in so many words.

Advertisement

And thus the Supreme Court drew a line and declared that those humans on the “person” side were entitled to the right to life, and those on the “non-person” side (as defined by the Court) were not. The combined effect of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton was that a line was drawn at physical location within a woman’s womb.

Earlier this week, the entire world was horrified by the story of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist who was arrested and charged with eight counts of murder when it came to light that he had stabbed at least eight children whom he had unsuccessfully attempted to abort in the back of the head. Although Dr. Gosnell’s story is horrifying, the only reason it is newsworthy is because the American public’s conscience has been trained to ignore the fact that worse monstrosities than Gosnell’s occur thousands of times every single day in America, because the victims of these monstrosities are on the wrong side of the arbitrary line drawn by our black-robed masters.  We reject this exercise in willful ignorance and on this day we force ourselves to remember, that our consciences may still be pricked, and so that we will not become callous to that which is evil and regard it as an unimportant or secondary concern in our political activism.

Here at RedState, we too have drawn a line. We will not endorse any candidate who will not reject the judicial usurpation of Roe v. Wade and affirm that the unborn are no less entitled to a right to live simply because of their size or their physical location. Those who wish to write on the front page of RedState must make the same pledge. The reason for this is simple: once before, our nation was forced to repudiate the Supreme Court with mass bloodshed. We remain steadfast in our belief that this will not be necessary again, but only if those committed to justice do not waiver or compromise, and send a clear and unmistakable signal to their elected officials of what must be necessary to earn our support.

Advertisement

God bless America, and those who have taken time from their busy lives today to travel in the cold to Washington, DC to peacefully march in protest and remembrance. We stand with you.

Recommended

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on RedState Videos