Legislature needs to stop forcing their beliefs on others
Published June 1, 2015
Editorial by Jacksonville Daily News, May 29, 2015.
The lawmakers in Raleigh keep sticking their noses into our personal lives, attempting to use the coercive power of government to force their moral beliefs on all North Carolinians.
The issue once again is abortion, one of the most personal decisions a woman might ever make.
It appears the goal of some of these lawmakers is to return to the days when abortion was illegal. And if they achieve that goal it will herald a return to days when women found a way, too often in out-of-the-way settings and other clandestine locations passed by whispers along underground trails.
Less than four years ago, lawmakers began chipping away at a woman’s freedom by mandating a 24-hour waiting period between the time she talks to her doctor and the time of an abortion. Now, backers of the latest bill say 24 hours is not long enough — they want that time stretched to 72 hours.
No big deal for such a big decision?
That’s not the issue.
The issue is the role of government in one’s life — in one’s most private life and personal of decisions.
Sponsors of the bill say they want to give women more time to collect information before making a difficult decision. Hoping, no doubt, that a longer period would lead to fewer abortions.
Most people, if not all, share these lawmakers’ hope for fewer abortions, and among those people will be women who have made the difficult choice to either continue or end their pregnancies.
But it’s wrong for government to keep intervening in the decision that a woman faces regarding abortion. Moral decisions ought not to rest with government but with individuals.
Lawmakers should cease in their attempt to force their beliefs on others.
When it comes to abortion, the decision belongs to the woman. She might choose to seek counsel from others — her pastor or priest, her partner, her doctor, a family member or trusted friend — but she doesn’t need government telling her what she must or must not do down to the second.
June 1, 2015 at 10:56 am
Richard L Bunce says:
You mean like Social Security, Medicare, Affordable Care Act, the FDA, FCC, FEC, BATF, HHS, etc, etc, etc...
I agree with your viewpoint that government should not force these beliefs on their citizens, I just do not restrict it to anything to do with reproductive choice as most on the left do.
June 1, 2015 at 8:01 pm
Vicki Boyer says:
NCGA held a public speaking op for the Motorcycle Vagina bill--I told them this was an issue of freedom of religion. They want to force their personal religious beliefs upon every woman in the state. They have no right to do so.
