In this upcoming election, Maryland voters must be careful not to be deceived. On the ballot, voters will have the opportunity to vote in favor of another constitutional amendment, called the Reproductive Freedom Act.
The proposed amendment states the following:
“That every person, as a central component of an individual’s rights to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy. The state may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”
There are many factors to consider when deciding how to vote on this amendment. First, as seen from the wording above, the amendment addresses ending pregnancy, which of course, refers to abortion. Sadly, most Marylanders do not realize that we have the most laxed and liberal abortion laws of all the states in the nation. I say this because, according to a law that was ratified by Maryland voters in 1992, a woman can have an abortion all the way until the end of her pregnancy. Not only that, but money has also been secured in the Medicaid budget for many years, which abortion proponents insist is necessary for healthcare purposes. This is misleading because anyone who is honest and realistic about this matter knows the simple fact that abortion always ends with the death of an innocent person. In fact, women have also been seriously harmed and others have even died during their abortion procedure. Another important factor to consider are the long-lasting effects that post abortive women contend with including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, compacted grief, and difficulty with later pregnancies. We can also see the deception behind the claim that abortion proponents have been making for years that abortion can be “safe, legal, and rare.”
Unbeknownst to many Maryland voters, is that, like many other states, drastic measures and initiatives have been taken since the overturning of Roe v. Wade to make abortion more accessible. For example, in Maryland, by the initiative of the General Assembly and Governor Moore, medical professionals other than doctors can now perform abortions including nurse practitioners and midwives. In addition to this, $3.5 million has been set aside in Governor Moore’s budgets for purposes of training the various medical professionals to perform abortions. The budget also contains funds to assist women from other states to have their abortions here in Maryland. Even without adding this amendment to the constitution, our state already goes to great lengths to make abortion accessible, which proves that it is unnecessary.
We can also look at articles from our original Maryland constitution to see that this amendment is flawed. For example, in looking at Article 24 we find, in short, that no person can be denied privileges including life, liberty or property without the judgement of their peers. If these rights are secured for those who face the prospect of judgement for criminality, they especially apply to innocent unborn children who should not suffer because of actions taken by their parents. In examining Article 44, we find that no provisions of the United States Constitution can be suspended under any circumstance whether in times of war or peace which tells us that the provision for securing civil liberties as mentioned in Article 24 are always applicable.
Knowing what is stated in Article 44, our attention should be drawn to the Declaration of Independence which has been regarded as the philosophy behind our constitution. Early in the Declaration, a statement of universal equality is made by the framers regarding all persons which speaks to the understanding that no one has greater standing over another. The framers build on this by recognizing that our Creator bestows our rights upon us chiefly the right to life. With this said, it is evident that God is the judge who determines the value and worth to all human life.
Now contrast this with the underlying viewpoint of the proposed amendment. Rather than God being the determinant of a person’s value, worth and deserved rights, man should exercise this authority. While the amendment speaks to liberty, what this really implies is that man should be free from walking in accordance with God’s call to preserve life. While the Declaration of Independence makes it clear that God does not rescind our rights, our current laws regarding abortion and this proposed amendment if ratified would secure man’s ability to exercise tyranny over innocent life.
When deciding on how to vote on this amendment, we should ask ourselves if our own state constitution should affirm what was concluded at the end of the Book of Judges found in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. That essentially being, apart from the rulership of the almighty and sovereign King, man may do what is right in his own eyes.
In His Image 