What Does “Equal Protection” Mean?
One of our main goals at Red State Reform is to see a bill of equal protection passed in Arizona. This would outlaw all forms of abortion, criminalizing anyone–including the mother–who willfully chooses to murder their child.
But what does “equal protection” mean?
The answer is simple: we believe all human beings have the same fundamental rights–the first of which being the right to life. Because of this belief, we hold that all humans deserve to be equally protected under the law.
At first glance, this doesn’t seem too controversial. Honestly, it shouldn’t be.
However, when we say all humans, we truly mean all humans–including those in the womb.
Let’s use an example to illustrate this point. Suppose that a mother deliberately shoots and kills her 4 year old son with a rifle. Obviously, this horrific act would be swiftly dealt with by law enforcement and the justice system. The mother would immediately face criminal charges for murder and be subject to the legal ramifications of her actions. Depending on which state she lives in, she could face capital punishment. Everyone would instantly agree that it was objectively wrong to murder that child.
By contrast, let’s say a mother walks into Ronald Yunis’ abortion clinic in Phoenix on a Saturday morning and pays him to rip her child apart in the womb. Under current Arizona law, the mother can do this with immunity and impunity. She is driven away by her accomplice with nothing but post-op paperwork and a popsicle in her hand. Most people don’t bat an eye.
In both circumstances, a child was murdered.
Both children are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), both children ought not be murdered (Exodus 20:13), and both mothers ought to face the legal ramifications for their willful actions to kill their children.
Do you see the contradiction? Why does the first child deserve justice and the second child doesn’t?
There is no coherent answer to that question other than that both children deserve justice. Both children deserve equal protection under the law, and, in fact, both children are to be protected according to the 14th amendment. The 4 year old is not more valuable than the unborn child.
This is why we fight to pass bills of equal protection. We do this standing firmly on the truth of God’s Word, and we will not stop until the shedding of innocent blood in our nation is over.
