OPINION: Political language and the value of human life

There is a significant difference between political pragmatism and moral principles.  When it comes to the issue of the sanctity of human life, the Republican Platform on which Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance are standing this year is a vivid display of political pragmatism.  There are certainly a host of issues included in the Platform, but Republicans are currently seeking to be drastically less pro-life than they have been.  Regrettably, the Republican Platform diminishes and compromises both the sanctity of human life and the issue of abortion.

Every single person is created in the image of God.  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  (Genesis 1:27)  Human life is sacred.  The dignity of human life rests not in our culture, but in our Creator.

The word “abortion” does not appear in Platform language.  Partial birth abortion has been condemned since the late 90s.  Not now.  In 2016, there was a statement about the moral importance of the human embryo.  Not now.

President Trump has made the statement that you have to win elections, and it seems now that he believes that down-playing abortion is one way to win the election.  This is obviously a political calculation—the type of calculation which politicians are accustomed to making. 

Let us remember that the sanctity and protection of life is not primarily a political issue.  It is first a moral issue.  And while President Trump and the Republicans have made a political calculation that they felt they must make, they have erred on what was a moral calculation.

Two years ago, we celebrated that Roe was struck down by the Supreme Court.  We were glad that the decision about abortion was at least returned to the States.  Today, President Trump’s suggestion that everyone wanted the issue of life and abortion just to be returned to the States is simply not the case.  We wanted the end of Roe because of its moral reprehensibility. Moreover, we never just wanted the end of Roe.  We wanted and still want the end of abortion.

For now, Roe may be in our rear-view mirror, but the pro-life movement in America is in crisis.

Recently, a reporter asked Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) if he supported changing the GOP platform to say that abortion should be a State issue.  In what should be concerning to those who value life, Rubio answered that the GOP Platform must reflect the nominee, and that the nominee’s position is “grounded in reality.”  Granted, but it is one thing to acknowledge political reality.  It is quite another thing to surrender moral principles.

In light of last Saturday’s attempted assassination and this past week’s Republican National Convention, some might see the absence of pro-life language in a party platform as a minor or even a pedantic issue.  On the contrary, this is not an issue of semantics.  This is a matter of life and death.

The lack of pro-life language in the Republican Party Platform is actually a concession to society’s disregard for life and an unwillingness to clearly state pro-life positions.   Not only do we want abortion to be illegal.  We want abortion to be unthinkable.

Todd E. Brady serves as Staff Chaplain and Advanced Funeral Planner at Arrington Funeral Directors. He and his wife, Amy have five sons. You may write to him at tbrady@afgemail.net.