AS the new Democratic Congress works towards highly appropriate and long overdue changes to Republican ramrod policies we must not only concern ourselves with Iraq and the War. There are many areas of harm which Mr. Bush and his cronies have inflicted on us in their propagandized laughable idea of bipartisanship.
I am of course particularly concerned on this anniversary of the 'Roe vs. Wade' Supreme Court ruling which hinges, not on abortion, as many believe, but upon the far more basic concept of the right to do with our own bodies what we believe is right and proper. Which distilled to its essence is simply our Right to Privacy. Does the Government have the right to tell you, me or any individual what to do or not do with our own bodies? The answer to protect us all is an emphatic NO!
Yes, the debate about the Right to Privacy arose around the issue of abortion, but the law extends far beyond this one medical procedure. (A horrible procedure, by the way, which I do not agree with, to be on the record.) I will however, without fail, support t'Roe vs. Wade' because of the real issue at stake: a person's legal right to determine with his/her physician what is the best level of care for his/her health. If we allow the government to determine this for us we will soon find ourselves having to defend even our right to exist when we are no longer productive or viable in the eyes of the State - or worse, in the eyes of some well-meaning religious group dealing only in abstracts which believes it knows best for you and me.
The ruling is especially important as the groundwork for social change and legal equality for Gays and Lesbians. It facilitated the Supreme Court's prior ruling regarding sodomy laws to strike down the Texas sodomy law in 'Lawrence vs. Texas'. (The police entered a private home on the complaint of a hostile neighbor and found a male couple, in their own bedroom, having sex - and arrested them for sodomy. This despite the fact that no such intrusion was ever made in the case of sodomy in any heterosexual marriage, ALSO ILLEGAL UNDER THE LAW, ever, even in Texas.) In striking down 'Lawrence vs. Texas' the Supreme Court went on to say that this intrusion into any person's private sex life, gay or straight, assuming it is between consenting adults, is wholly noncompliant with the rights guaranteed us in the Constitution - and therefore effectively struck down all sodomy laws still left on the books in about two-thirds of our States.
These rulings, 'Roe vs. Wade' and 'Lawrence vs. Texas', also rightfully prevented negating the contractual rights and obligations of marriage between husband and wife in the famous, or infamous, and very tragic case of Terry Schiavo and her husband. When Terry's parents attempted to invalidate the Shiavo's marriage vows it was the Schiavo's, but also our own, right to privacy which ultimately prevented even the Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, as well as President Bush, from wrongfully wresting control of the couple's marriage vows and effectively saying your rights over your wife's and your own wishes, mutually agreed upon, to not prolong artificially supported life can be circumvented by ANYONE who feels their religious beliefs or ethics are paramount to your own. What a horrific legacy that would have left all of us; should Terry's parents have effectively nullified their daughter's wedding vows in their own grief and loss, they would have successfully nullified all marriage contracts.
I do not pretend that these are not gut wrenching horrific decisions being made about peoples lives. Unfortunately, our media only zooms in on the painful human drama and rarely explains the actual legal precedent which someone is challenging. I often pray that I will not have to make such a choice for myself or my loved ones. But I do know this about myself implicitly: it is I who want to make that decision for myself! (I have a health care directive and Mark has instructions from me, just as I have them for Mark.) It is our right to make that decision - not Jeb's or Dubya's. So we are safe from having my family or Mark's family interfere with our wishes because of their religious or ethical view, or emotional reaction. It is not granted them... YET.
If new Chief Justice Robert's were to pursue a reversal of 'Roe vs. Wade' you're not going to find abortion disappear. But you will find your right to save your wife's life; where and with whom you choose to insert your penis during sexual intercourse; and your decision to not prolong artificial life support all nullified; along with, I'm certain, any number of rights of which I'm not aware.
Do not give away your right to choose to control your body to the State! Ever! It will always snare you for some unforeseen slaughter of your own ethics and morals anyway. It is a terrible and awesome (and I believe God given) responsibility to have to make each life and death decision for ourselves and those we love. It's called being an adult. No doubt it seems easier to have a blanket solution enshrined in law, but we Americans are a strong, rational and loving people. If we make a wrong decision in the eyes of God, but honestly do our best to choose ethically and morally, than it is my belief that God will find our taking responsibility to make the hard choice ourself of far greater moral value than simply enacting a law which can never, ever deal with people as individuals. Nor each individual situation - different in every aspect from the last person's situation and the next person's - and ultimately neccessarily worthy of our individual investment. Just as God has made that same individual investment in you and me.
So, please, the next huge moral crisis regarding America's horrific downfall into moral depravity which the Religious Right and their lapdog, the GOP, throw your way via the media - STOP! THINK! Take a deep breath, look beyond the human agony they tell you is there to see and dig for the other truth, and the human agony just below the surface, which they think we're not smart enough to understand or make up our own minds about in an ethical and moral way. And then, don't let them make it a law for YOU on the roller-coaster ride of THEIR emotional whim. I repeat, embrace and cherish your ability to choose wisely, remembering this: it is only the bully or the weak minded and fearful person who needs to tell you what to believe, how to think and why their choices absolutely HAVE to be YOURS.
I am of course particularly concerned on this anniversary of the 'Roe vs. Wade' Supreme Court ruling which hinges, not on abortion, as many believe, but upon the far more basic concept of the right to do with our own bodies what we believe is right and proper. Which distilled to its essence is simply our Right to Privacy. Does the Government have the right to tell you, me or any individual what to do or not do with our own bodies? The answer to protect us all is an emphatic NO!
Yes, the debate about the Right to Privacy arose around the issue of abortion, but the law extends far beyond this one medical procedure. (A horrible procedure, by the way, which I do not agree with, to be on the record.) I will however, without fail, support t'Roe vs. Wade' because of the real issue at stake: a person's legal right to determine with his/her physician what is the best level of care for his/her health. If we allow the government to determine this for us we will soon find ourselves having to defend even our right to exist when we are no longer productive or viable in the eyes of the State - or worse, in the eyes of some well-meaning religious group dealing only in abstracts which believes it knows best for you and me.
The ruling is especially important as the groundwork for social change and legal equality for Gays and Lesbians. It facilitated the Supreme Court's prior ruling regarding sodomy laws to strike down the Texas sodomy law in 'Lawrence vs. Texas'. (The police entered a private home on the complaint of a hostile neighbor and found a male couple, in their own bedroom, having sex - and arrested them for sodomy. This despite the fact that no such intrusion was ever made in the case of sodomy in any heterosexual marriage, ALSO ILLEGAL UNDER THE LAW, ever, even in Texas.) In striking down 'Lawrence vs. Texas' the Supreme Court went on to say that this intrusion into any person's private sex life, gay or straight, assuming it is between consenting adults, is wholly noncompliant with the rights guaranteed us in the Constitution - and therefore effectively struck down all sodomy laws still left on the books in about two-thirds of our States.
These rulings, 'Roe vs. Wade' and 'Lawrence vs. Texas', also rightfully prevented negating the contractual rights and obligations of marriage between husband and wife in the famous, or infamous, and very tragic case of Terry Schiavo and her husband. When Terry's parents attempted to invalidate the Shiavo's marriage vows it was the Schiavo's, but also our own, right to privacy which ultimately prevented even the Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, as well as President Bush, from wrongfully wresting control of the couple's marriage vows and effectively saying your rights over your wife's and your own wishes, mutually agreed upon, to not prolong artificially supported life can be circumvented by ANYONE who feels their religious beliefs or ethics are paramount to your own. What a horrific legacy that would have left all of us; should Terry's parents have effectively nullified their daughter's wedding vows in their own grief and loss, they would have successfully nullified all marriage contracts.
I do not pretend that these are not gut wrenching horrific decisions being made about peoples lives. Unfortunately, our media only zooms in on the painful human drama and rarely explains the actual legal precedent which someone is challenging. I often pray that I will not have to make such a choice for myself or my loved ones. But I do know this about myself implicitly: it is I who want to make that decision for myself! (I have a health care directive and Mark has instructions from me, just as I have them for Mark.) It is our right to make that decision - not Jeb's or Dubya's. So we are safe from having my family or Mark's family interfere with our wishes because of their religious or ethical view, or emotional reaction. It is not granted them... YET.
If new Chief Justice Robert's were to pursue a reversal of 'Roe vs. Wade' you're not going to find abortion disappear. But you will find your right to save your wife's life; where and with whom you choose to insert your penis during sexual intercourse; and your decision to not prolong artificial life support all nullified; along with, I'm certain, any number of rights of which I'm not aware.
Do not give away your right to choose to control your body to the State! Ever! It will always snare you for some unforeseen slaughter of your own ethics and morals anyway. It is a terrible and awesome (and I believe God given) responsibility to have to make each life and death decision for ourselves and those we love. It's called being an adult. No doubt it seems easier to have a blanket solution enshrined in law, but we Americans are a strong, rational and loving people. If we make a wrong decision in the eyes of God, but honestly do our best to choose ethically and morally, than it is my belief that God will find our taking responsibility to make the hard choice ourself of far greater moral value than simply enacting a law which can never, ever deal with people as individuals. Nor each individual situation - different in every aspect from the last person's situation and the next person's - and ultimately neccessarily worthy of our individual investment. Just as God has made that same individual investment in you and me.
So, please, the next huge moral crisis regarding America's horrific downfall into moral depravity which the Religious Right and their lapdog, the GOP, throw your way via the media - STOP! THINK! Take a deep breath, look beyond the human agony they tell you is there to see and dig for the other truth, and the human agony just below the surface, which they think we're not smart enough to understand or make up our own minds about in an ethical and moral way. And then, don't let them make it a law for YOU on the roller-coaster ride of THEIR emotional whim. I repeat, embrace and cherish your ability to choose wisely, remembering this: it is only the bully or the weak minded and fearful person who needs to tell you what to believe, how to think and why their choices absolutely HAVE to be YOURS.
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