Denial of Rights

The Bible establishes the concept of the sanctity of human life, and the book of Proverbs speaks for those who are endangered, stating in chapter 24:
11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

Jesus, our rescuer, calls us to seek out and speak for the vulnerable among us. Unborn children cannot speak for themselves, but their very existence, ordained by God, speaks to us and calls out for defenders. All of us were made in the image of God, and as Psalm 139, we were knit together in our mother's womb, fearfully and wonderfully made. This can give us motivation to stand with them, as well as their mothers, in upholding their right to life. 

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Yesterday, I commented on Jesus our rescuer, and in continuing with the spirit of that theme today, I want to concentrate on an especially vulnerable class of human beings and our responsibility to speak for them - the unborn. Proverbs 31, prior to the familiar passage about the worth of women, says this:
8 Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The Denver Post said this about a recent debate in the Colorado House of Representatives: "Roughly one full day in length, this is thought to have been the longest debate in this Capitol in at least 25 years."  At the end, the chamber took a voice vote to move legislation forward that would strengthen the state's stance on abortion. Final passage has occurred in the House and it goes on to the Senate, which is also expected to pass the bill. Here is the newspaper's language: "Their bill not only concerns the right to abortion, but also would ban local and state governments from interfering with that right, and prevent a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus from having independent rights under state law."  Essentially, the bill makes it legal under state law to terminate the life of an unborn child.

It's hideous, according to Jeff Hunt of the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University. Writing at The Washington Times, he says that the bill "removes any restrictions on abortion from Colorado, including parental notification, and specifically bans preborn children from having 'rights under the laws of this state.'"  He states:

Although attempts to restrict abortion in Colorado have failed, this bill goes so far beyond what Coloradans are willing to support.

Americans are generally opposed to unrestricted abortion. Only about 1/3 of Americans want abortion to be legal under any circumstance. The remaining 2/3 either want abortion to be illegal in all circumstances or legal only under certain circumstances.

Hunt testified against the bill during hearings. 

Here's a key statement that he wrote:

Lawmakers introducing a bill to refuse rights to a class of human beings is shocking. Some of the worst moments in American history are when governments codify into law that classes of human beings are not worthy of rights under the law. This is an appalling first for abortion law in the state of Colorado.

He stated: "The quiet part is finally being said out loud in this bill. Lawmakers want vulnerable preborn children to be banned by law from having any rights in the state of Colorado."

A CBN News article related:

According to Colorado Public Radio News, pro-life protesters responded to the news by rallying outside the Capitol in Denver on Saturday.

"I think this bill is going way way way too far," said Carrie Kudrna of Broomfield. "I don't even want to live in this state if we do something like this. It's just horrendous. We can't promote that we're the destination abortion center. We just need to protect lives."

Several hundred pro-life advocates gathered, along with a small group of counter-protesters.

Rep. Dave Williams spoke to the crowd and said, "We've been fighting for 24 hours," adding, "We did this for you, we did this for the babies, we did this for the unborn children who are in the womb. We did what we could, but the fight's not over." He also noted, "This is literally a bill about life and death. The individual, that human being inside that womb is life, and that life should be protected."

In the pro-life arena, we are countering those who clamor about a so-called, mythical "woman's right to choose."  However, I contend that the right to life trumps that choice, because someone is terminating the life of another human being.  That is a God-given right, and mere humans should not place themselves in the position of countering that well-established right, codified in the 10 Commandments, which say that we should not kill. 

It is certain that Colorado is gearing up to be some sort of abortion safe haven when Roe v. Wade is overturned and states will have the freedom to set their own policies regarding life. Some states, like Alabama, will have strong pro-life laws, others, like New York and Colorado will show a widespread disregard for life. We have to understand that not only will the landscape of abortion change, but that as Christians, we can continue our work to not only protect the unborn, but to minister to the needs of women and their families.  For the misguided among us who try to mischaracterize people who defend the right to life as merely "pro-birth," we have real opportunities ahead to display the compassionate work of Christ through His church.