Dear editor,
The first wave of European settlers to the New World were fleeing the domination of the Church that repressed the right to worship as they saw fit. As a nation formed around this idea of “separation” from mandates about how to live one’s life, it was deemed necessary to codify this idea into law.
Recent political actions taken by states seem to be blurring the line between religion and choice in an attempt to make all Americans adhere to one vision of what is “right or wrong.” If we are to continue as a nation of freedom of religion, does it not stand to reason we should also have freedom from religion as well?
The most glaring example of overreach by these states is to control women’s reproductive options through legislation setting limits on when, where and how abortions can be obtained. The Supreme Court Ruling some 50-years-ago was a step in the right direction for the nation as a whole. By acknowledging the inherent right of citizens to determine their own future, we as a people took a major step toward “equal justice under the law.”
With the recent passage of laws to criminalize reproductive choice, legislators in some areas of the country are showing signs of becoming what the “Founding Fathers” fled in the first place. By moving forward with the restrictions of choice for women in particular, how we respond will tell a lot about what kind of America we are willing to live in.
As we have demonstrated in the past, the “choice” to comply or defy is inherent in the American Way of Life. If current trends continue, what freedoms do you stand to lose in pursuit of lawmakers’ more perfect union?
Patrick Linn
Grants