#574 - Amendments / Combat & Uterus / Cuomo - August 13, 2021
The Next U.S. Constitutional Amendment?
The New York Times asked seven writers and legal scholars what the next amendment to the U.S. Constitution should be. The results include ones we’d be pleased to see – especially the second and third ones.
On the second proposal, we expound on the importance of Finally Abolishing Slavery on our Peace & Life Referendums site, where we talk of all the state constitutions that need to delete the exception for those convicted of a crime. This proposal would do that for the federal constitution.
The third proposal is summarized: “The word ‘person’ shall apply to all human life — born or unborn.” While we take no position on the exact wording she offers, the idea of including preborn children under the constitution’s protection would be delightful, and we’re glad to see it make The New York Times' s top seven list.
The first proposal includes a concern for preventing poverty (protecting the right of workers to unionize) and the fourth one is a concern for peace (international law is part of U.S. law).
Hyde is Not Out Yet
Though the House voted along party lines to keep the Hyde Amendment out of their budget bill (Hyde bans most Medicaid funding of abortion), the Senate has kept it in. The vote was again along party lines, except for Democrat Joe Manchin, who made the difference. We’re glad to see he’s a person of principle on this issue. It’s extremely important that Hyde remain in the final budget – both because thousands of children’s lives depend on it, and because it benefits low-income women.
Around the Web
As part of their “Women Deserve Better” series of practical tips, our member group Feminists for Life offers Getting Around for Less Money, Frugal Food Strategies, and Help for Homeschoolers.
As a recent addition to her ClinicQuotes website, which focuses on what people have said about their lived experience on abortion, CLN board member Sarah Terzo offers “Woman tells heartbreaking story of abortion regret after rape”
Our Latest Blog Post
Noting the recent anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 6 and 9, 1945, John Whitehead reflects on an often-cited essay that praises the bombings from the perspective of a veteran who proposes that only those in combat could really understand and have a valid opinion about them. He draws the parallel to those who think only women should be entitled to have an opinion on the topic of abortion in No Combat Experience, No Opinion: Parallels in Pro-bombing and Pro-choice Rhetoric.
Quotation of the Week
Ed Condon
The Pillar, August 6, 2021
Valuing a culture of life is, it is often said, a seamless garment. To value every person’s unique worth and dignity means you value their life at every point of that life — in the womb, in the office, and in the nursing home.
I also noted that a culture of death is its own kind of seamless garment. The kind of man who would light up the skyline of New York to celebrate advancing abortion’s culture of death, and who would order infected patients into nursing homes and juke the death stats to pretend it never happened, is also likely to be the sort of person who doesn’t place a high premium on the dignity of women in his office.