Stevens' Retirement is Pro-Life Opportunity Lost

You might think that in light of the previous post this post would be contradictory.  Clearly not.  We fight against and speak against the structures of injustice that are prevalent in our society but ultimately our hope is not in them to save or redeem.  Only the Gospel can do that. 

Pro-Life News:

With Stevens’ retirement, President Barack Obama has another seat to fill and yet another opportunity to stall the conservative shift of the High Court.

It marks another missed opportunity to replace a justice who supports abortion with one that will recognize legal rights for all human persons, born and unborn.

The pro-life community would love for the High Court to recognize and enforce the right to life of all persons stated clearly in our Declaration of Independence.

We long for the day that the rights of the unborn will not be subject to the retirement plans of justices with life terms or the politics surrounding the nominating and confirming a new justice.

But even if the Court refused to acknowledge rights for the unborn by outlawing abortion, it could at least return the issue of abortion back to the states where it belongs. Before Roe, abortion was a state crime. And 46 states had laws on the books protecting children from the abortionist’s knife.

The nomination of Supreme Court justices remains a major presidential power. While Gerald Ford served as president for just over two years, his Supreme Court nominee was none other than John Paul Stevens, whose 34-year tenure on the Court will finally end this June.

Too bad he’ll likely be replaced by another, younger judge who will also be unwilling to recognize the promise of the Declaration for our youngest brothers and sisters.