Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Bush Supreme Court

Bush and his Sureme Court vacancy weighs heavy on my heart. I pray for him to find a candidate who will serve God's will wisely and carefully, while also serving to make the country the best it can be. I believe a judge should be neither right wing nor left wing, neither conservative nor liberal. It is a judges job to be unbiased and impartial and to decide each case individually first by what will best serve the individual and the country now and in the future, then by Constitutional principles, then by personal principles (which are often influenced by spiritual beliefs).

This article summarizes what Bush has made known publicly about what he is looking for in a Supreme Court nominee. He says he wants someone who will "strictly interpret the Constitution" and "not use the bench to write social policy." That's politician speak for "I only want someone that intreprets the Constitution in the same way I do." Both sides will use almost that same language and when they do, they are saying exactly the opposite of what the words indicate- they are saying they do want such a person, as long as that person shares their views.

Abortion is closely related to Supreme Court nominee issues. It shouldn't be, but it is. So here's my two cents. I believe abortion is wrong. I would never have an abortion or encourage anyone else to have an abortion. But it should not be illegal. It should not be decided by federal legislators or Supreme Court justices. It is a very complex issue, and both the Pro-Life movement and the Pro-Choice movement miss the point. I believe O'Conners view is that if the child is viable (which I intrepret as able to survive on its own outside the womb), it should be protected. Otherwise, the woman's choice has to be protected. I may be mistaken in thinking that is O'Conners view, but it is certainly mine. The Pro-Choice people need to remember that a woman is deciding not only what to do with her own body, but also that of the child within her. We don't know at what point that child becomes a human life, but I believe that it occurs around week 20. Therefore, I believe first trimester abortions should not be considered murder. Third trimester abortions are the taking of a human life, I don't see how anyone could reasonably deny that. The location of the magic line that divides between human life and an organized growth of cells growing inside a woman's body has to be decided by each individual based on their own personal moral convictions.

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