On 22 January 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution – that document designed by the likes of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, after a bloody revolution, to outline the relationship between the federal government, the state government, and the people – forbids states from protecting unborn children.  If I had anything inspired to say about the abortion debate today, I would do so; however, I’ll take the opportunity to blog about other pro-life issues.

In 1997, the Supreme Court held that the Constitution does not include a right to assisted suicide (Washington v. Glucksberg). Aside from the fact that the Court’s rationale (that assisted suicide is not so deeply rooted in our legal tradition as to constitute a fundamental right, which would implicate Due Process issues) applies equally well to abortion, Chief Justice Rehnquist’s opinion eloquently outlines the value of all human life and how these types of laws only hurt the most vulnerable among us.

Furthermore, as the Obama Administration has done its best to pass a health care bill whose cost-cutting mechanisms consist primarily of reducing care to the elderly, as as we’ve learned from Oregon’s example that state-run health care can often lead to state-encouraged assisted suicide*, we should be mindful of the reality that what the state condones, the state may accomplish by force:

This concern is further supported by evidence about the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. The Dutch government’s own study revealed that in 1990, there were 2,300 cases of voluntary euthanasia (defined as “the deliberate termination of another’s life at his request”), 400 cases of assisted suicide, and more than 1,000 cases of euthanasia without an explicit request. In addition to these latter 1,000 cases, the study found an additional 4,941 cases where physicians administered lethal morphine overdoses without the patients’ explicit consent. Physician Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the Netherlands: A Report of Chairman Charles T. Canady, at 12-13 (citing Dutch study).

As Rehnquist goes on to point out, this harms the most vulnerable people among us: the elderly, those without family to fight for them, the indigent (who cannot pay for care), those with mental disorders, and those who have just lost spouses.

It is not a coincidence that those who face the greatest harm from assisted suicide also face the greatest harm from abortion: women who are pushed into abortion are those who are either very young or very old, those without familial support, and those who are on the periphery of society.  The babies that are most likely to be denied the chance to live are those who are “deformed” or “abnormal.”  Abortion, like assisted suicide, is society’s referendum on who is worthy of life: neither one has a place in America, a nation built on the idea of individual dignity and unalienable rights, and a land of unparalleled prosperity and charity.

*As a Greek language nerd, I despise the use of  ”euthanasia” to refer to assisted suicide: there is nothing good nor noble about hastening  the death of another human.

Blog for Life Must-Reads

Neil discusses Tim Tebow’s pro-life Superbowl ad.

Why Pro-Life Presidents Matter, from First Things.  It is rather tempting to be cynical and believe that nothing we can do will make a difference – not electing pro-life leaders, nor working on the local level to advance the cause – but that is often only because we take our hard-won victories for granted.

From LifeNews:  younger Americans are more pro-life than their Baby Boomer counterparts.

A lovely editorial in the Chattanoogan newspaper about respecting all forms of life and truly being for life, rather than against abortion.

A young pro-lifer,  Katie Walker, discusses abortion in the context of social justice and historical discrimination.

Sarah Palin’s pro-woman, pro-life message: Marching for a Beautiful Life.

Americans United for Life has live coverage of the March for Life.

Stacy McCain has the live video of the March for Life’s conference.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life is holding an Assembly for Life on Sunday.

(While I’m dying to hear all about the March from those who attended, I would be shocked if anything could match the spectacular beauty of the 2008 March.)