As I listened intently today (Tuesday, May 16, 2023) to the debate on the Senate and House floors concerning the override vote of Governor Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 20 – Care for Women, Families and Children Act, I could not help but be struck with how historic the moment was.

One hundred and fifty-six years ago, Americans were deeply divided over slavery. The fundamental similarity between the practice of slavery by Americans then and the practice of abortion today is the issue of human rights. Just as slavery deprived African Americans of their basic human rights, abortion also violates the right to life of an unborn child.

There is also the issue of the dehumanization of a specific group of people. Enslaved people were dehumanized and seen as property rather than human beings. Today's unborn child is viewed solely as a biological entity rather than a human with intrinsic worth and dignity. The language used to describe the child, such as "products of conception" or "fetus," further reinforces this dehumanization.

For those who know history, every undertaking of one group of people oppressing or exploiting another, whether it was from slavery, the illicit drug trade with its many addicts, the predatory gambling industry that cultivates compulsive gamblers for profit, human trafficking, or Abortion, was always defended with a pro-choice argument.

At least the victims of drugs and gambling have been afforded some choices, but the victims of abortion never had a choice.

What high-sounding rhetoric we often hear about a woman's right to choose – the right to live her life without government interference – her right to body autonomy. What is conveniently left out, however, is the victim's choice. This is the essence of any pro-choice argument. Victims are not equal and, therefore, ineligible for serious consideration.

Can you hear faintly in the background, the champions of the Confederacy? "Well, no one makes you own a slave. Yet, you want to make it illegal for me. You are anti-choice, anti-freedom, and would impose your view of morality on others." This same argument, in principle, was made today by several Democrats in defense of abortion.

O that we would learn from our history so we wouldn't be condemned to repeat it as we are now doing.

Almost all human rights violations have been vigorously defended based on the oppressor's right to choose.

The bill that passed today, "notwithstanding the Governor's objections," will save many lives, and the Christian Action League is exceedingly thankful to every Republican who tenaciously fought for its passage. Nevertheless, this fight must continue. Blacks didn't choose slavery, and babies didn't choose abortion. This wholesale slaughter of the innocents must end!

God hasten the day when Americans will look back and rue the way we were about abortion in the same manner we now look with disdain on slavery.