Issue: Abortion

Principles supporting position:

Freedom

(a) Fetus should be free to have “life” under the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bible (Exodus 20:13, “Thou shall not kill”);

(b) Woman should be free and have “liberty” under the same principles so she can choose whether to carry a fetus, give birth, and be a parent

Protect the Vulnerable

(a) Woman is vulnerable (economically and/or subject to abuse, and her liberty is at stake);

(b) Fetus is vulnerable (its life is at stake)

Limited Government

(a) States have an interest in and power to protect their citizens, so long as due process of law is met;
(b) Federal courts uphold constitutional rights of all parties

Basis for federal government role in the issue:


Declaration of Independence (“inalienable Rights … Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”); 10th Amendment to Constitution: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people.”; 14th Amendment to Constitution: “No State shall...deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

Principle Based Position

This issue forces the most complex balance between three principles, as well as involving the difficulty of balancing the freedoms of multiple parties and determining who is most vulnerable.  (See above principles.)

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