Some Democrats are saying abortion should be "safe,
legal and rare." "Safe" means "safe" for the one doing
the killing. Killing should not be "rare," it should be non-existent.
But if a woman kills her baby, should the government then kill the mother? Lock
her in prison with a car-jacker and a prostitute?
Family Research
Council President Ken Connor compared the daily destruction of human life in
abortion clinics to the loss of life that occurred in the Sept. 11 attack:
"On September 11th, we were horrified as we watched the destruction of
more than 3,000 innocent human lives. In an instant, our government responded to
protect the country from further loss," Connor said, in a news release.
"But the sad reality of American life is that more than 4,000 children die
every day in this country at the hands of abortionists and the government does
nothing to intervene."
The central issue in our day is how to prevent 4,000 murdered babies a day, not
how to punish 4,000 mothers a day. And the answer to this question is not found in
giving the State more power, but reducing the power of the State.
Many who consider themselves pro-life are actually pro-State: they want more
power for the government to prosecute those who seek or provide abortions.
Harry
Browne writes:
| Every day you spend trying to get government to do something
about abortion is a day wasted, a day that could have been spent doing
something effective – such as working for less-restrictive adoption laws,
encouraging private educational efforts to show young women the alternatives
to abortion, repealing the income tax so that parents will have the time to
teach their children values that will minimize teen-age pregnancies, and
repealing laws that shield people from the consequences of their acts.
Every day you spend trying to get government to do something about
abortion is a day playing at fighting abortion – showing off for
the anti-abortion fans, but achieving nothing. Government will never change
people's hearts and minds, but you can change people's minds if
you're willing to work at it. |
Because I am a libertarian and oppose laws against abortion I have been called an
"anarchist." Actually I believe in MORE government than those who support
"the government." I believe in self-government.
Andrea Lafferty, of Traditional Values Coalition, meantime, issued a challenge to
the Church.
"While many people say they oppose abortion, a lot of people are looking
the other way, and the Church is looking the other way," Lafferty said.
"The Church needs to be talking about this issue with its young people, with
singles' groups, with parents' groups, urging parents to talk to their children
about life."
The vast majority of Americans oppose the vast majority of abortions performed in
America, according to all polls.
This should be the source of social power needed to effectively end abortion without
fines or prisons -- or another
death.
Here's how self-government works to protect the life of the unborn better
than the federal government:
The first big change that needs to take place is to create a separation of
school and state. Most parents want their children to be taught to wait for
marriage and not to kill or steal. The Government won't allow that kind of teaching.
Education must be returned to parental control under a
free market. This is where most abortions were always prevented.
Rather than being met at the door by jack-booted gun-wielding federal
anti-abortion authorities, mothers contemplating an abortion should be met at the
door by voluntary associations of friendly parents who
will offer to pay expenses, shelter mothers from abusive "boyfriends,"
provide caring hospitality, parenting classes, values education and other works
of mercy which will help the mothers carry their baby to term and avoid killing
a human being.
But even before this need arises, self-government operates to prevent unwanted
pregnancies and cultivate a positive value for human life.
Families: Parents who are not victims of government schooling and who have
been trained to appreciate America's pro-life values can pass these values on to
their children. Constant
reminders from the earliest ages that human beings are created by God with
unalienable rights is the soil in which homicidal weeds are less likely to grow.
Children steeped in pro-life views will inevitably pass these views onto their
playmates, and should be encouraged to do so. American parents have always been
careful to know who their children play with, and always make an effort to meet the
parents of their children's playmates and invite them to learn more about our
God-given rights.
Employers should not hesitate to hire single mothers who struggle to make
ends meet, and substitute generous pay for government welfare. Lunchtime Bible
studies and employee training sessions can pass on America's pro-life values.
Personal encouragement increases job performance better than an impersonal
workplace, and may result in opportunities for preserving the life of the unborn.
Landlords should use their relationship with tenants to cultivate respect
for life through respect for property; the
two are not unrelated. Weekend classes in property management, concern for the
environment, and household budgeting can be required of tenants in rental
agreements. These sessions provide opportunities to stress the importance of human
beings created in the Image of God, and their role as stewards
of the creation.
Teachers should pass on pro-life values to their students, even in classes
that do not directly teach social and cultural subjects. Like the Apostles (Acts
5:29), teachers should defy court
orders prohibiting a discussion of American values before and after school, and
at lunch.
Media sources which propagate pro-death values should be boycotted.
Americans should patronize movies, television, plays, concerts, and other events
which transmit American values. Americans should invite neighbors to neighborhood
reading circles in which great pro-life books are read and discussed.
Merchants and business owners can join all of the above in a more negative
but essential social function: ostracization. Parents can disinherit, landlords can
refuse to rent, teachers can expel, media sources can give unfavorable publicity,
and merchants can refuse to sell to those who kill children. All of these groups can
boycott doctors who kill children.
Professional organizations such as the AMA and the ABA
should penalize members who kill human beings.
If 90% of all abortions are opposed by 90% of Americans, then the lives of these
90% are being controlled by pro-abortion forces who wield the power of "the
sword": the 90% have been coerced into silence and inaction. Cultural
transformation begins with Liberty and self-government, not the iron fist of the
federal government.
It is only because Americans are no longer self-governing that they appeal
to "the government" to use armed force against those who seek
abortions.
More ideas: Building
a Culture of Life: A Call to Respect Human Dignity in American Life