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Abortion & Burger King Diplomacy
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads, in part:
1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
An unborn fetus has neither been born, nor naturalized. It is not a citizen of the United States, and therefore, not legally entitled to life, liberty and property. The mother, assuming she is a citizen, is entitled to property; including the contents of her womb. She is within her rights to get an abortion, just as I am within my rights to pour a delicious bottle of wine down the kitchen sink without tasting it.
Of course, this does not address the religious, ethical and emotional issues at play.
Barry Goldwater, one of the founding fathers of modern-day Libertarianism, believed that abortion was within the scope of individual liberty.
A life-long Christian, Goldwater cited Genesis 2:7 as a biblical justification of this belief. According to the passage, man did not become alive until God breathed life into him. An unborn fetus does not breathe; not until after they are born. According to Goldwater, this is the point at which a fetus become a person. As stated, this view is supported by the 14th Amendment.
Ron Paul, a physician who has delivered scores upon scores of babies, does not agree with this view. According to Dr. Paul, life begins at conception. Medically, we know that the fetus develops remarkably quickly; by the age of 8-weeks, a normal fetus has already formed fingers and toes, and has begun moving. Surely, any self-replicating protein capable of locomotion could be fairly described as “alive”.
Consider this:
Prior to its abortion, was this fetus alive? Was it entitled to life, liberty and property? Why or why not?
Legally, Dr. Paul believes that the issue of abortion should be legislated on a state-by-state basis. For example, under President Paul, “pro-life states” could once again outlaw the practice of abortion, while “pro-choice states” could continue to support it. This solution cannot address the morality of the issue, but it provides a form of “Burger King” diplomacy; have it your way.
Consider for a moment what might happen if we randomly selected 8 people out of the general population, and offered to buy them a pizza. One catch: they must share the pizza, and agree on which toppings to get. Will the vegetarian be forced to eat meatball? Will the meatball lovers be stuck with plain cheese? Is there any hope for the guy who likes anchovies?
If 8 people cannot agree on which toppings to get on a free pizza, how can 300 million of us agree on an issue as profound as abortion? What sort of one-size-fits-all solution could satisfy a majority? And, once the majority is satisfied, what about the rights of the minority? Thankfully, our forefathers offer an elegant solution: Republic.
Have it your way. Like sun? Florida. Like guns? Texas. Like weed? California. No matter who you are, no matter what you believe, you have the right to be governed by the laws that reflect your personal values and opinions. After years of increased Federalism, increased colonialism, increased spending, and increased protest, it is clear that America has grown too big to be forced under the same laws on every issue. But revolution is not the solution. The solution is to embrace the division of power. The solution is to divert more power back to local levels- to the state, to the county, to the local city halls. The solution is the Republic, for which the flag we pledged allegiance to stands.
Why should New York City and Dallas Texas agree on abortion? Why should Akron Ohio and Eureka California have the same drug laws? Why should Denver Colorado and Hope Arkansas have the same laws governing gay marriage? As I said, there are 300 million of us here already, and more showing up every day. We come from every possible background, we represent every possible ideology, and we all disagree passionately on many issues- as well we should. Let us agree to disagree. Let us embrace diversity. Let us sing praises to the genius of the Republic.
Have it your way- its the American thing to do.
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