Supreme Court OKs Abortion Limits
Hold it! Before we get into an all-out civil war between the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers that consumes the rest of the century, let’s ask if either side can really win.
The positions of both sides are so rigid that any laws passed in state legislatures will be widely violated. In a democracy, any law to be effective must be generally accepted by the populace. Abortion laws will take the imposition of a police state to enforce.
The debate will consume our society, and divert attention from other pressing needs. Not only will judges and legislators have to pass one or the other side’s “litmus test,†but such a test will influence selection of executives and other positions. We will be lucky if the U.S. doesn’t become one giant Beirut.
The reason: Attitudes towards abortion are primarily religiously based and the judicial and legislative branches of government are out of their element in finding a solution. Any government finding is meaningless, and may be dismissed as having no content.
So butt out, government. Come on in, churches, and help your flocks. But one request. After coming to your insights, do not try to proselytize. Respect other people’s rights to find the truth as they see it.
FLOYD A. OLIVER
Los Angeles
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