Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

Voters awake from their quadrennial slumber about this time every fourth year to prepare themselves for the business of electing a president. We cast all our cares and concerns on a man or woman we think can save us from our excesses, our personal responsibilities, our enemies here and abroad.

By the time the election rolls around, most know very little about the man or woman who gets their vote. We simply don’t care enough to reach beyond the rhetoric. We pick the one who looks, sounds or acts more like the Superman (or Superwoman) we would like him to become.

Is it any wonder our country is in such a mess?
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Justice Anthony Kennedy did the unthinkable when writing the majority opinion for Gonzales v. Carhart, the 5-4 Supreme Court decision that upheld the federal partial-birth abortion ban. He described this procedure with painstaking detail, exposing this barbaric practice to the harsh light of day. Furthermore, he referred to the subject targeted for destruction as an “infant,” not a “fetus.” Read the rest of this entry »

Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states, for any reason during the full nine months of pregnancy, is on a collision course with science. When the 1973 court handed down that infamous decision, it overlooked the most important issue: when life begins.

Since there was no window to the womb, seven of the nine justices felt perfectly free to classify pre-born children to be non-persons, property of the mother that could be discarded at will.

During the last 33 years, technology has given us that window through ultrasound and fiber optics. Not only can we view these tiny humans, doctors can treat them in utero, performing lifesaving surgery on their miniature patients. Others study the growth and behavior of these babies as they develop and have made startling discoveries. Read the rest of this entry »

It is no secret that Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision that made it legal to kill an unborn child in every state, for any reason, under any circumstance, throughout the full nine months of a woman’s pregnancy, has big problems. First, it was based on world-is-flat technology.

“Gee, we can’t see in the womb. Therefore, we don’t know if an unborn child is alive so we simply won’t go there.” Paraphrased, this was the justification the high court gave for simply sidestepping the central issue and ruling in favor of convenience. In order to do this, a 5-4 majority decided that unborn humans were not legal “persons.” Read the rest of this entry »