Raise Your Voice
By Peter Molenaar
In the space of this paper, many years ago, a “marine sergeant” opposed me with the declaration: “I will fight to the death in defense of the U.S. constitution.” My goodness… Given all the varied and contentious interpretations, should we commend the man for his commitment? Would he consider the words of John Locke, the philosopher precursor to the founding fathers? Locke spoke of the right to make revolution, i.e., the right of a revolutionary people to write their own constitution as needed.
A side note:
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of property” became “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as per Thomas Jefferson. But hey, Locke said “pursuit of property” as long as it is earned, whereas, most property in the modern U.S.A. is unearned!
Now, regarding Roe v Wade, we must consider the establishment clause of the First Amendment…
It was Jefferson who declared: “when the American people adopted the ‘establishment clause’ they built a wall of separation between church and state.” As no reference to a specific church was made, logic dictates: “to be constitutional, a statute must have a secular legislative purpose, it must have principle effects that neither advance nor inhibit religion, and it must not fodder an excessive government entanglement with religion.” In other words, “separation of church and state” means: ’separation of religion and state’.
Do you believe a soul is imparted at the moment of conception? Well then, spread the good word… that’s freedom of religion. However, in the United States of America, you can not impose your religious belief via the state apparatus.
Well then, what about the “right to life”? Hey, what in religious terms is the definition of life… hmm? Okay then, what is the definition of life in terms of biological science?
The scientific definition of life is as follows: a material formation which responds to external stimuli in order to sustain and replicate its existence.
Clearly the zygote (i.e., the original union of sperm and egg) is utterly dependent upon the mother’s body (i.e., it is absorbent, not reactive). Ponder then the human fetus, even as it appears at the end of the second trimester. Consider in comparison, the life of a squirrel as it scampers among the branches of trees. The squirrel is very much alive, whereas the human fetus is like a larval grub curled beneath the soil… Lord knows, it remains an appendage of the mother’s body.
Upon her first intimacy at the age of 15 years, my daughter was impregnated by a boy who dumped her the next day. “When a baby is actually born to life, then, then, it is sacred.” These words initiated the successful trajectory of her life.
Right to life? The worst elements of the capitalist class are pleased to deploy this powerful wedge issue. Hypocrisy noted?
