The nation and the world knows of the leaked draft of the case that will overturn Roe. As we await the final opinion and the demonstrators wait in the wings, an uncertain summer lies ahead, yet the court’s moral imperative is clear.
As the draft opinion is written, on the one hand it overturns Roe, but on the other hand it fails to find a ‘right to life’ in the nation’s documents (as in the unalienable right to life plainly stated in the Declaration of Independence, our nation’s charter).
On the one hand they strike down Roe that legalized abortion, but on the other hand fail to find anything wrong with abortion (except to observe that all states criminalized abortion prior to Roe). Failing to find fault with abortion the court sends a message that there is no right or wrong with killing preborn children – no absolutes – all that matters is those who speak the loudest. But, we must contrast that with those who cannot speak for themselves. It was President Ronald Reagan who observed: “I have noticed that most of the people who are for abortion have already been born.”
But there are absolutes. One such absolute written in stone by God Himself for Moses is this: Thou Shalt Not Kill.
In the Supreme Court chamber, high up on the marble frieze, directly above the center of the judges’ bench, is a depiction of Moses holding the Ten Commandment plaque. If our Supreme Court is reticent to mention God, they should certainly not be reticent to mention the unalienable, God-given right to life found in our nation’s own Declaration of Independence:
“…that all men are created equal (from conception is implied), that they are endowed by their Creator (God) with certain UNALIENABLE Rights, that among these are LIFE, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” (italics added)
Once you appeal to and touch the gold standard – God given unalienable rights – you have established a right and a wrong. The court’s moral imperative is clear. Those who want to continue to do wrong will attempt to do so forcing their will upon the courts and legislatures, but they will know they are fighting a moral imperative that is beyond any court or legislature. They are fighting God Himself and not an ambivalent draft of a court opinion that takes no stand with the moral imperative, but leaves the lives of millions of preborn children to the political process in the States, and hence upcoming demonstrations across the country.
If the Supreme Court stands for the moral imperative the demonstrations are kept in Washington at the U.S. Supreme Court itself while the judges are out of town on summer recess. There is nothing to be gained from the state legislatures (the Supreme Court will have spoken that abortion is wrong).
The court (the conservative majority) needs to walk into their own courtroom while it is empty – go out into the seating of the gallery and look up at the 3 dimensional relief, a marble frieze, that is positioned directly over the center of the bench where the chief judge traditionally sits and contemplate the representation of Moses with a long beard holding the stone Ten Commandment plaque in his arms.
Someone has said that most all of the Commandments can be reduced to just one: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Applying the golden rule to the momentous decision they are called upon to make, the judges may wish to reflect on how it would be if they were just entering the world as a preborn child and some judge was about to decide their fate. They need to reflect on their own lives and their own walk of faith and whether or not they feel it is providential to be called to this hour of great decision for their republic.
The prayers of all of us are with the court at this time as they themselves assuredly pray for wisdom, divine direction and protection. Psalm 111 reminds us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,
R. Martin Palmer
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