688 - Peace & Life: Ohio/Republicans/Stellar Shelter - November 10, 2023
Disappointment for Ohio
When Roe was overturned, our heading announcing it was “Major Obstacle Removed.” We knew well that we still have plenty of work to do. Since we've had 50 years of state-approved abortion in the U.S., and thousands of years of socially approved violence in general, it will take a long time to recuperate from the damage that inflicted.
This was one of two ballot measures we were tracking for 2023; the other was in Maine. Racism had caused the hiding of treaty obligations to American Indians in printed copies of the constitution. Fortunately, the vote to restore acknowledgement of those obligations passed by 73%.
Our project website, Peace and Life Referendums, is now tracking a long list of referendums for 2024. We also have a page there focused on abortion in state constitutions.
Republican Debate on Consistent Life Issues
Much of the debate was belligerent on war, oblivious to how unrealistic they were being in their proposals to solve problems with violence.
The death penalty itself didn’t come up, but DeSantis aggressively proposed shooting drug smugglers dead, without any sense that extrajudicial killings are worse than adjudicated ones as far as the law and constitution are concerned.
When abortion was addressed, there were more substantive points made than in previous debates. Ramaswamy brought up male sexual responsibility. Christie used the phrase “pro-life for the whole life” repeatedly and expounded on that fairly well. They could still have benefited from more pro-life feminist and consistent-life insights, but at least those weren’t entirely absent.
Grant to Stellar Shelter
The Action Foundation of Consistent Life is pleased to announce another pass-through grant. We awarded the Stellar Shelter a $2000 grant in 2019, and now an anonymous donor asked CLN to process a $10,000 contribution to the Stellar Shelter in Juarez, Mexico.
This facility supplies temporary housing for vulnerable pregnant or parenting single women and their children as they wait out their asylum cases in Mexico.
The shelter is a project of New Wave Feminists, a member group. It’s headed by Destiny Herndon de la Rosa and operated by Karina Breceda (pictured).
Following a consistent life ethic philosophy, the Stellar Shelter has plans to expand and create a women's healthcare clinic. The clinic will serve the shelter residents and any person seeking pregnancy support and well-woman care.
This recent grant will provide enough money for five months of operations.
Our Latest Blog Post
Forty years ago this month, a NATO military exercise spooked the Soviets so badly that the world was closer to a nuclear showdown than it realized. John Whitehead explains in Sleepwalking toward Nuclear War: The Lessons of the Able Archer Scare.
Quotation of the Week
Jim Geraghty
National Review, November 8, 2023
Note: This is another case where we quote someone who’s not a consistent lifer, but makes a point of interest to us.
In the Israel-Hamas war we are witnessing a battle between a government that has almost entirely banned abortion, and government that largely permits abortion.
Ironically, a lot of American pro-choicers are shouting for the support of the anti-abortion regime, and a lot of American pro-lifers are demonstrating their support of the regime that permits, and, in some cases, pays for abortion . . .
[A] genuine pro-lifer is likely to find the Hamas philosophy and worldview appalling, as it amounts to protecting unborn children for nine months, and then declaring open season on murdering any Israeli or international civilian in any trimester, so to speak. It’s “pro-some-life, and anti-other-life.”