Thanksgiving: human rights and the confused

By Judie Brown

Thanksgiving is a day to reflect on the immense blessings in our lives. We do so knowing that all is possible only through Our Lord. Yet we long for the day when we will give thanks for laws that finally recognize that every human being, no matter how he is created or what stage of life he is in, has value and is protected under the law. Today's commentary addresses this and gives us Judie Brown's insights.

Isn't it bad enough when shots are fired at pro-life activities from the Department of Killing (DK) — my label for the culture of death? Considering the fact that its chilling philosophy is the foundation of the Obama administration's attitude toward human rights for babies before birth, it seems appropriate to define its role accurately.

Planned Parenthood, DK's leading organizer, commands the lead post among those who prefer death to life — a negation of a human life to a recognition of individual human rights. We can sort of understand its position because, after all, Planned Parenthood makes big money on abortion, contraception, and related deadly "reproductive health services."

But what about pro-lifers who seem to be convinced that human rights for all (personhood) is just not a good idea? When such people argue that working toward total protection for all individual human beings is impractical or not a good legal strategy, how we respond to them is a testimony to our character, our confidence in truth, and our ability to help them see what it is they are missing. I have learned from my own mistakes that we must rise above irritation, take a deep breath, and move on. We understand that undermining core principles postpones the day when God will bless America with a genuine victory for His children. This is why our response must be loving and consistent.

For example, Paul Linton, who is opposed to the human rights strategy (personhood) wrote, "Without an actual or threatened conflict between the language in a 'personhood' amendment and the abortion liberty recognized in Roe, there is no 'case' or 'controversy.'"

Linton's perspective has been dealt with and carefully debunked by attorneys like Robert Muise, of the Thomas More Law Center, who have pointed out that personhood proposals, if affirmed by voters, will directly challenge the basic holding of Roe v. Wade — which is that preborn human beings are not persons.

Further, Muise has pointed out, "In many respects, the best case to present to the Court is one in which a state is seeking to protect human life as a matter of state constitutional law. For a state to amend its constitution to protect life speaks volumes to the Court. And it is perhaps the best case scenario to tip the balance of the scale with Justice Kennedy."

Proponents of human rights for all will proceed with appreciation for scholars like Muise and with a complete understanding that, until every human being is equally protected by law, there is no class or persons among us who are not at risk of being the next to be defined out of existence. As political analyst Michael New has astutely pointed out, "The coverage that the Personhood Amendment received from the mainstream media was almost uniformly negative, and abortion-industry operatives spread considerable misinformation." But in spite of this, more Americans understand what is at stake today than they did before the effort began. Therein lies the victory.

While well-meaning strategists like Mr. New fail to follow through and explain why those who advocate for human rights cannot leave even one baby behind — which means we have to expose the pill, in vitro fertilization, and other such practices — they are at least considering the question. Human rights advocates do what we do not because we are negative or fanatical, but rather because the babies deserve the full truth and nothing but the truth. While New wonders where the "personhood proponents" will go after their Mississippi failure, I can assure him that those who are clear in this message and purpose will never give up.

As I write this, human rights advocates in Montana are facing a similar sort of negativity coming from our friends. While this saddens us, it reminds us that this is why Thanksgiving is the perfect time to surrender those misguided men and women to God, to pray for them, to ask for the wisdom to communicate with them in a positive way, and to ask for the courage to stand our ground.

And so we pray,

Thank you Father, for the gift of life, for our membership in Your human family. Thank you for our fellow travelers on this road to achieving victory for Your children without exception and without apology. Thank you for wisdom, prudence, and the ability to love our enemies. Thank you for the grace to shed light where there is confusion. Thank you for placing us on Your earth at this crucial time. Thank you, Father, for Your love. Amen.

© Judie Brown