Since I had to travel to Tijuana, Mexico, to have an illegal abortion in 1962 I have been fighting for women’s right to choose.
Roe v. Wade has saved so many women’s lives. What could these judges be thinking? They have ruled against women, health, population control, civil rights.
Is it part of the present movement to digress to a white male, evangelical Christian autocratic government?
The U.S. Constitution and the Bible have at least one thing in common: Neither mentions abortion. There is no statement to be found about abortion being legal or illegal, moral or immoral — zip, nada, nothing.
Justice Antonin Scalia was famous for saying the Constitution should be read as meaning what people at the time would have thought it to mean. Let’s apply that to a central question: Does life begin at birth or at conception?
The Constitution does say (in Article II) that in order to qualify to be president you have to be 35 years old. The founders surely meant (and the people would have understood) the 35 years would be reckoned from the time of birth and not the time of conception, nine months earlier.
In fact our legal system generally assumes our existence begins at birth. If life were to begin at conception, we could get our driver’s license nine months earlier. We could drink and vote nine months sooner. I could have qualified for Social Security and Medicare nine months ahead of time. Alas, the law sees life beginning not when we are conceived, but when we are born.
And so it goes. Remember when Donald Trump began insisting that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and was therefore ineligible under the Constitution to become president? After a lot of back and forth Obama eventually produced his birth certificate to prove he was born in Hawaii. In the course of this business no one bothered to ask where Obama was conceived. Why? Because it wouldn’t have mattered. Nobody cared.
Now the Bible. Everybody knows Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But where or when was the immaculate conception? The Bible doesn’t say. Jesus’s birth, on the other hand, is full of Magi, shepherds and heavenly choirs, all lit by a star. We even date the passage of our years from the birth, not the conception, of Jesus.
Check your own understanding. You can tell us your birthday without even thinking about it, but when were you conceived? You don’t know. OK, you could subtract nine months from your birthday and come up with a vague date, but at the heart of it, you just don’t know.
Invoking the Scalia principle, the conclusion is clear: the Constitution and the Bible agree our lives begin when we are born.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Yes, pro-life people are rejoicing that Roe v. Wade has been overturned! The biblical as well as the scientific perspectives show that a human life is formed at the moment of fertilization.
Over 60 million babies have died by abortion. Although the womb is designed to be the safest place on the planet, this was not the case for all those babies. Every conception is an act of God, and we are all created in His image. He formed us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). Here is a comment from a Mom I know: “When I first saw [my son] on the ultrasound at nine weeks, he was happily wiggling his arms and legs around, and there was no doubt this is my child. It’s a human being created in God’s image.”
Ruth Bader Ginsberg herself has been quoted as saying, “Fight for the things you care about,” and that’s what pro-lifers are doing, encouraging respect for life from the moment of fertilization, considering every life — born and pre-born — to be precious. Educating others using facts about the baby’s humanity and amazing development in the womb.
Do you realize a baby’s heart starts beating regularly between Day 18 and Day 25 after fertilization? That brain waves have been measurable since Day 43? That by 10 weeks, all major organs are functioning, fingerprints and perfectly formed toes are present, and the baby might be sucking his or her thumb?
I know many heartbroken women who have expressed great regret over their decision to have an abortion. They know now that each baby is a separate life from his or her mother, not “my body, my choice.”
The God of the Bible made the world and everything in it, and He knows everything there is to know about each one of us.
All of us need to know the love of God that is in Jesus Christ, and the gift of forgiveness and eternal life He provides to all who will humble themselves, turn from their sins and ask for that forgiveness, resulting in the peace with God needed by everyone, not just those who have participated in abortion.
I remember when I moved to Wyoming, 28 years ago, there was an ad on TV that showed an older woman and her granddaughter. The grandmother said, “This is Wyoming, no one can tell this child what she can do with her body.” What happened?
Who will raise these unwanted children after they are born? Yes, some be adopted into great families, some turn out into wonderful people but too many wind up in gangs, abusive families, lost to society. Society pays the price on down the line.
If one cares so much about these unborn children then care about the ones who are alive. Enact more gun control to see that they aren’t shot in schools, give more to preschools to make sure they have a good beginning to education, make sure they get health care their parents can afford.
The lining for my cat’s litter box was printed appropriately on page 13 of the June 22 Jackson Hole Daily, and while we’re likely becoming used to this daily journalistic flatulence, I can no longer refrain from making public the thoughts I have about “Eyes on Teton County” and their full page ads in the Daily and News&Guide that can only be ranked as poor competition for the funnies.
If you wish to make a positive public impression, there are a few ground rules — not my rules — just ones based upon common sense. First, when you misspell like a third-grader, intelligent people won’t take you seriously (unless you intend to target an audience that can’t spell either). Also, misspelling the name of someone, especially a prominent council member who is the target of your vitriol, indicates that there’s no one who cares enough to proofread what’s being ginned up for public consumption.
Of greatest interest though is your need for anonymity. You hurl accusations through out-of-context remarks and shout in CAPS at council members and your potential readers, but lack the courage to identify yourselves, a requirement the rest of us who feel the need to speak publicly must meet.
You have the ax to grind, the money to do it, and a catchy, watchdog name. All that remains is finding someone who has the skills to produce a page worth reading. The cat seems to like it, though.
Many thanks to Jackson Animal Hospital, Fish Creek Veterinary Clinic,Driggs Veterinary Clinic and Victor Veterinary Hospital for stepping up to cover emergency pet care in Jackson. Your professionalism and responsibility are very appreciated.
I understand Jackson is a “dog- friendly” town. But does it have to be an “unfriendly” town to those who don’t care to be around dogs?
I’ve been bitten three times, once earlier this year on the hand. And chased by many more dogs while bicycling.
I’m not comfortable around dogs, especially unleashed ones.
So it’s real nice for me to go into or walk by your local parks that are clearly marked “dogs not allowed”’ But nearly without exception those signs are ignored, and people have dogs in the parks, usually off leash.
Dogs have approached me, I get tense, say to the owner “Will ya call him off!” and they don’t seem to care, just let their dogs do what they want.
One came right up to my bitten hand and touched it with its nose, which created a lot of stress in me. I told him to call him off, he didn’t, I yelled and waved my hands and stomped my feet, and the dog did back off then, but the owner said, “Geez, you need to chill out!” That’s like telling a veteran who has PTSD not to get worked up around fire crackers and cherry bombs.
City of Jackson, please, please, if this isn’t going to be enforced, take down the signs. Or are they posted not to keep dogs out, but to limit your liability should something happen? If you’re a dog owner, realize some people are not comfortable around your dog(s). Don’t think saying “Oh, he won’t bite” takes away our anxiety. Teach your dogs not to approach strangers, please.
Letters to the editor should be limited to 400 words, be signed and include a town of residence and a telephone number for verification. Letters are due by noon Monday. No thank yous or political endorsement letters. Guest Shot columns are limited to 800 words. Email editor@jhnewsandguide.com.
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