Life. It’s Not a choice.
By Sean Calabria, Class of 2018
Life. It’s not a choice. Separation of church and state is a bedrock principle of the American Republic. Which is why, for the purposes of the controversial ongoing debate on the issue of abortion, I pledge to support my unequivocal pro-life stance solely on constitutional and scientific facts. Let me begin with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. It states, ”No State shall deny any person the right to life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” This amendment holds the promise that every person, within the jurisdiction of the United States, is guaranteed his or her life, liberty, and property as a measure of due process. It seems plain and simple enough to understand.
However, this is precisely what abortion does. It denies humans their constitutional right to life. The most popular counter argument I hear from the pro-choice crowd is that a human fetus isn’t human life. Well, science says otherwise. In fact, science has conclusively proven human life begins at conception. There is an overwhelming consensus on this from professional health community.
While this human life is only in it’s first stage of development. Experts say that according to the definition of biology, human life exists from the moment of conception, when a unique and individual human zygote is created. To deny this simple scientific truth is equally as irresponsible as denying the existence of climate change. Don’t believe me? I encourage you to consult any professional or academic medical journal of your choosing for confirmation of this fact. The legal counter argument I hear from pro-choice extremists is that because the Constitution is very specific in stating that the earliest a person is considered an American citizen is at the moment of birth, then an unborn human isn’t an American. Therefore, rendering a human fetus unprotected by the Constitution. However, in fact, the Supreme Court has already decided, on multiple occasions that all humans have the constitutional rights of due process.
Take for example, the landmark case of Plyler v. Doe. The Supreme Court determined that equal protection of the law and the due process clauses of the 14th Amendment do, in fact, extent to non-American citizens. Finally, to further make my case, the decision of the Court in Roe v. Wade was not based on constitutional findings, it was politically motivated. Even the plaintiff in the Roe v. Wade case holds this truth, she now claims to have been the victim of political ambition and she marches along side us every year at the March for Life. The court pulled a “right to privacy” out of thin air and determined that abortion violated this unwritten right.
Well, there is a constitutional right which pertains to this matter that is written, and that is, as I previously discussed, the right to life. Therefore, only one conclusion can be reached based on the legal and scientific facts of life.
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution establishes the right to life by due process, and abortion practices violate this right. It’s a matter of constitutional principle. The decision of Roe v. Wade undermines the promises of the Constitution, and on the contrary to what my opposition claims, takes away choice.
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