Tag Supreme Court

Banning Assisted Suicide Limits the Right to Life

Ed

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled that the law which bans physician assisted suicide is unconstitutional because it violates a terminally ill person’s right to life. The Court ruled that the ban causes some people to end their lives prematurely for fear that they many not be able to do so later on without the assistance of a physician (which used to be illegal).

So, in effect, the Canadian Supreme Court says that it respects life by allowing someone to end it and that a law which protects life (so that terminally ill patients aren’t coerced by family or doctors or insurance companies) is a violation of the right to life.

Does that make any sense to you? Read the full article on the LifeNews website by clicking here.

SCOTUS, DOMA, and Prop 8

Ed 2 Comments

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), handed out opinions on two very important cases: one regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the other regarding California’s Proposition 8 (Prop 8). Once again, SCOTUS got it wrong; however, that doesn’t mean same-sex marriage is now legal in all the nation.

Here’s what happened:
SCOTUS struck down Section 3 of DOMA, the section that stated that the federal government has the right define marriage for the purposes of federal benefits and laws. SCOTUS said that Section 3 was unconstitutional because it discriminated against people who were granted rights under states’ laws and the federal government does not have the right to overrule the states’ definitions of marriage. SCOTUS got it wrong on DOMA because, just as the state has the right to define how state benefits are applied, the federal government has the right to define how federal benefits are applied.

Prop 8 was a referendum to amend the California constitution to define marriage as only one man/one woman. It was passed, therefore, the California constitution would, by definition, forbid same-sex marriage. Elected officials of California were sued in District Court but the elected officials did not defend themselves.  The District Court allowed the supporters of Prop 8 (citizens of California) to defend the case.

The judge in the District Court opined that Prop 8 was unconstitutional and ordered the elected officials not to enforce Prop 8. The elected officials did not appeal the ruling and order, but the District Court allowed the supporters of Prop 8 to file an appeal. The Ninth Circuit Court and the California Supreme Court agreed that the supporters were allowed to file the appeal.

What SCOTUS said was that the supporters of Prop 8 had no legal standing to file the appeal in a federal court. In fact, SCOTUS vacated the Ninth Circuit Court’s answer to this question the case was remanded to the District Court. SCOTUS got it wrong on Prop 8 because the people of California should have the right to defend a properly voted upon state constitution amendment if the elected officials will not uphold their constituency’s rights.

Here’s what SCOTUS didn’t do:
SCOTUS did not rule that Prop 8 was unconstitutional
SCOTUS did not strike down the entirety of DOMA
SCOTUS did not legalize same-sex marriage in all fifty states

Why is this important? Because traditional marriage, defined as one man/one woman, is the only type of relationship that can bring forth children, and in the best interest of the children, traditional marriage should be the only legal definition of marriage our nation has.

For more information on DOMA, see the Alliance Defending Freedom’s webpage on DOMA.

For more information on Prop 8, see the Alliance Defending Freedom’s webpage on Prop 8.

What Choice are They For?

Ed

Yesterday, January 22, 2013, marked the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade (Roe) Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision which Blog for Choice 2013legalized abortion in every state during all nine months of pregnancy. And today, January 23, 2013, marks the 40th anniversary of a lesser known, but just as important, decision from SCOTUS regarding abortion: Doe v. Bolton (Doe).

Roe was important because in one stoke of the pen, SCOTUS overthrew the states’ right of making their own laws and struck down every law in this land against abortion. To be clear, 17 states had already legalized abortion of some sort prior to that decision, but most of them had restrictions on which trimester those abortions could take place. What Roe did was make it legal to abort a baby any time during the whole nine months of pregnancy if the mother’s health was at risk. But Roe didn’t define what it meant for a mother’s health to be at risk.

Doe took care of that. The day after Roe was handed down, SCOTUS handed down the Doe v. Bolton decision which basically defined the health of the mother as any reason whatsoever. We’re not just talking about mortal danger to the mother, which is what most people that I speak with think it means, Doe defined it to mean any type of physical health issue. So, for example, if a woman doesn’t want to deal with morning sickness, that’s a proper reason (according to Doe) to get an abortion. Additionally, Doe broadened the definition of “health of the mother” to include other types of “health” both of legitimate concern (e.g. mental) and the outrageous (e.g. economic). Whatever the reason, or type of “health” issue, cited there really is no justification for ending the life of an innocent human being.

Ask Them What They Mean When They Say ChoiceWhy this little history lesson? As they have in previous years, NARAL Pro-Choice America encouraged their supporters to “Blog for Choice” on January 22. And pro-life groups and individuals, as they have in previous years, responded by asking what it means when you are for “choice”?

You’ll find that there are a lot of answers to that question. A lot of pro-choice people think it’s about better health care for women (how about better health care for all…seems a little sexist to only advocate better health care for women); or they want you to think it’s about getting free contraceptives; or it’s about empowering women to make decisions about their own bodies.

But the reality is that the folks who are pushing the “choice” agenda–and I don’t mean your friends, relatives, or co-workers who, when asked “Are you pro-life or pro-choice” say they are pro-choice but don’t really know what that means–the ones who take in billions of dollars under the banner of “choice” and pay out millions through their political action committees, know what choice they’re talking about: abortion.

My wife reminded today that Virginia has a specialty license plate called “Trust Women, Respect Choice.” Here in northern Virginia, I often see a car with that plate with a vanity registration: “I HAD 1.” This license plate tells us the truth. I doubt if this person would say “I HAD 1” if she were talking about mammograms at Planned Parenthood (which they don’t do), or free ultrasounds at Planned Parenthood (which they won’t show the results of to the woman considering abortion), or free birth control pills, or free condoms.

So what do they mean when they say choice? The answer is clear: the ending of innocent human life in a barbaric fashion. On this 40th anniversary of two legal decisions which made every American citizen complicit in the sin of murder, I ask that you find the truth behind the rhetoric and then make an informed decision. You can start where I started 16 years ago: by looking at the results of abortions. Be forewarned that the images are graphic and disturbing, but they are real and it happens 3,300 times every day in the US…1.2 million times every year.

If you have been involved in an abortion decision in your past, please know that the purpose of the video is not to condemn you or shame you. The purpose of the video is to help you understand that no matter what the sin, God loves you and has forgiven you through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Here are three resources for help if you have had an abortion in the past: Word of Hope, Rachel’s Vineyard, and Abortion Recovery International.

Watch the video of aborted babies and strengthen your resolve to end this 40 year atrocity we call “choice.” Click here to see the video.

Updated 24 January 2013.