Open letter to Senator Ron Johnson

Dear Senator Johnson,

Today I read your Statement on the March for Life, and I want to comment on something. In your statement, you paraphrase a line from the Declaration of Independence, but you didn’t work with the entire sentence that informed your thought, or even suggest that the thought was, in fact, a fragment of a larger idea. I’ve included your statement along with the permalink to the statement, and bolded the words in question, for your convenience- .

https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/1/johnson-statement-on-march-for-life

“For 44 years, Americans have followed their conscience to Washington to march in defense of the most vulnerable members of our society: the unborn. These marchers are changing hearts and minds. They are moving America to live up to its founding ideal laid out in the Declaration of Independence — that we are endowed by our Creator with the right to life. I applaud their courage and support their cause.”

I think at the very least, you should have quoted that line within the Declaration of independence as such:

“. . . that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life . . .”

This construction shows that there is more to the story. In fact, why not use the entire sentence (it has a much better sense of drama too):

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Therein lies the problem. The entire quote does not clearly support the anti-choice ideas you appear to be enshrining with your statement. “Life,” as defined by a beating heart, is not the only thing that is important. There are aspects to the quality of existence that must be weighed, considered and debated within a broader context.

The Declaration Of Independence lays out the circumstances under which the citizenry should cut ties with an oppressive government. It is not a document describing the particular issues under which the government may intervene in the lives of its constituents.

I fully support the right of those with differing opinions to debate issues through the exercise of their right to free speech — like the march you’re supporting. Actions like these could convince more women to choose one outcome versus another. Unfortunately, rather than making an argument for choosing life, this march appears to focus more on promoting governmental actions that would result in the restriction of personal freedoms — the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

Now, I’m no scholar when it comes to our founding documents, but a fairly simple interpretation of the Declaration of Independence seems to indicate that Roe v. Wade is a pretty good example of the Federal government doing exactly what it is supposed to do. It is enacting laws that prevent lower jurisdictions from meddling in the personal affairs of U.S. citizens. The idea that the federal government should look the other way while lower jurisdictions limit their citizen’s ability to make decisions for themselves, seems absurd, if we hold that the federal government’s role is to protect those very rights. In the Declaration of Independence, immediately following the words you paraphrased, we see evidence that this is indeed what the federal government — or any government accountable to the people — is supposed to do:

“ That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

Roe v. Wade secures those rights.

Governments that restrict their citizens enjoyment of their “unalienable rights” are burdensome. Please recall that the Declaration of Independence argues for a response to governments that have gone too far down this path — rebellion:

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

I have a feeling the Declaration of Independence will resonate a new, with many in the coming years.