A South Dakota Effort in Futility

I'm a little late to the party on this one but since I'm in training this week my unfettered access to a computer is limited. However, on such an important issue I wanted to be sure and respond.

Earlier this week the South Dakota legislature enacted into law the toughest restrictions on abortion in the country. According to the new law, abortions are illegal in all cases except where the mother's life is at risk. Now, first and foremost, this law will never go into effect. That wasn't the purpose for which it was created. Soon, if not already, a judge will temporarily halt the law from taking effect. It will be appealed up the line and ultimately the 10th circuit court of appeals will overturn the law. Following that it will be appealed to the Supreme Court but the court will not choose to take the case. In other words they will just ignore it, and here's why. First, at this point in time a majority of people in our country still favor a woman's right to choose. Some may say that it depends on who you ask and how you frame the question but if it's not a majority then it's very, very close. Second, a ruling regarding a person's right to abortion has already been established by the court and it would take a groundswell of anti-abortion fervor to cause them to overturn that, far more than we have today.

So, even though the possibility exists withy a now more conservative court for the right to an abortion to be overturned it's not going to happen soon and it's not going to happen like this. The justices are too wise to do this. It's amazing that even in such a serious situation morality gives way to politics, but frankly that's just the way it has to be.

Now, I may be "progressive" or "moderate" by the definition of some but I do believe that abortion is morally wrong. I believe it is a terrible act and in many cases (though not all) a supreme act of selfishness. I believe that abortion should be illegal just as murder is illegal however I don't believe it's going to happen to a lasting degree no matter how much we stack the court. While not exactly the same, we saw a similar situation in our country in regards to the equality of all people. Slavery was abolished in our country in the middle of the 19th century by enactment of a constitutional amendment. The foundation of that amendment was the equality of all people (or all men I suppose). However, as history has revealed, equality for all people wasn't something that could be legislated or even enforced by the courts. Ultimately it took changing the hearts and minds of people. It took time. In fact we have yet to see this issue resolved in a Christ-like way as statistics seem to show that white Southern Baptist men are the most racist people within our country.

The same change will be true regarding abortion as well. Change is going to come through changing the hearts and minds of people. It will come as people understand the full value of human life, as God intended it. It's not going to happen strictly through electing like-minded legislators or presidents. It's not going to come through the Supreme Court. It's going to come when Christians exemplify and demonstrate the love of God BEFORE they condemn other people. And honestly, it's going to happen one person at a time, not through guilt or fear, but through acceptance and love.

So I guess what I'm saying is, don't expect too much to come out of this South Dakota law. And don't wait around for your government to do something. Start figuring out ways that you can make a difference, such as loving and esteeming the girls who are continually told by our culture that they aren't pretty enough or don't have the perfect figure and who so often find acceptance in the words of a guy who want nothing more than physical gratification. Another more controversial idea is to provide means of contraception for those who are going to have sex anyway. Doing so does not throw open the doors of promiscuity. It simply acknowledges that a "greater" tragedy is the loss of a life because a girl doesn't think she has another option.