Bloody Footprints In The Snow
October, 2002
The right to life is not like any other issue. It is by far the most fundamental of all political disputes. Human life begins at conception. That is both irrefutable biological fact and fundamental theological truth; it is also a politically non-negotiable position, from which all other rights flow. All our rights as Americans, including the so-called "right to privacy," are based on our "inalienable right to live." A government which does not guarantee the right of every human being to live has destroyed the underpinnings, indeed the very concept, of human rights.
This is something we have to understand very clearly: abortion is not just another right added on top of others, it is the destruction of all rights, for abortion destroys the basis upon which all other rights rest. Abortion reduces rights (given by God to the human person at conception) to privileges, granted by a "magnanimous" government, to be protected or withdrawn at government's whim.
Consequently, compromise on the life issues is simply not possible. By its very nature, compromise ("we'll just kill a few: the disabled, the children of rape or incest, the terminally ill…") negates the principle that human life is sacred. Either ALL human life is to be protected from conception to natural death, or not. There is no middle ground between killing and not killing; you can't defend some and kill others without surrendering the entire principle.
"But," you might say, "politics is the art of compromise." And so perhaps it is, but let us look at 30 years of abortion politics and see how well compromise has worked for us, and for our opponents. Politicans, after all, are like the stock market: they respond to fear and greed: fear of losing elections, and greed for power, money and/or girls.
Our opponents understand that, and have never been willing to extend support to any politician who offered them mere lip service. The price of support from NARAL, NOW and EMILY'S List has been concrete service to the cause of death. They have never compromised their principles, and have never settled for "half a loaf."
Pro-lifers, in comparison, have been both stupid and weak. Stupid, in that we have not seen that our willingness to settle for "half a loaf" has earned us more contempt than influence; weak, because we have been unwilling to hold the feet of friendly politicians to the fire.
We seem to think as Christians, or Orthodox Jews, that we have to be "nice." But Jesus wasn't nice when He cleaned out the Temple or told the Scribes and Pharisees what He thought of them, and Moses wasn't nice when he unleashed the plagues on Egypt. And the pro-aborts aren't nice, either. They know what they want, they demand it, and they get it, because their politicians know they will not compromise, nor settle for "half a loaf."
Perhaps the children of this world really are "wiser than the children of light."
But we can learn from their example, if we are tired of being stupid and weak. Neither major political party offers pro-lifers anything. The Democrats have a pro-death litmus test. The Republicans make vaguely pro-life noises before elections, because they need pro-life votes, but spend their terms deriding pro-life principles.
What to do? Continue to accept half-loaves, and the contempt that comes from accepting half loaves, or begin voting for minor parties which "can't win" but are 100% pro-life?
Let's do a little thought experiment: if Hitler and Stalin were running for President as the candidates of the two major parties, and the only other choices were Pat Buchanan or Howard Phillips, who "can't win" – for whom would you vote? Hitler, Stalin, or one of the guys who "can't win?"
The only reason third party candidates "can't win" is because people don't vote for them. Why don't they vote for them? Because they "can't win." It's a circular argument. Minor party candidates (like Jesse Ventura) can win, of course, if they get the most votes. "Can't win" is a silly argument.
So are the usual prudential compromises. Arlen Specter was supported in Pennsylvania by many pro-life groups because they considered him the "lesser of two evils." Turns out, they were wrong. Specter was re-elected, the Republicans took control of the Senate, and Specter became chair of an important committee, from which he deftly served the pro-death cause. His opponent would have been a lowly freshman, without influence. Specter turned out to be the "greater of the two evils," even though his opponent was slightly more enthusiastic about public funding of abortion.
So it often goes, when you compromise with evil. Perhaps, on the practical level, we can't win at the moment. But at least we can protect our personal integrity. If Thomas More had been "practical" he'd have compromised with Henry and become a respected Anglican – at least in this life. If St Joan of Arc had been "practical" she'd have stayed home on the farm. If George Washington had been "practical" he'd have spent the winter in Florida, instead of at Valley Forge.
Men and women become heroes because they draw a line in the sand: "This is fundamental, I cannot move, I will not compromise." If it were easy to be a hero, everyone would be able to be one. Heroes need to be brave, to have a clear understanding of what is at stake, and then seek the most likely route to success. Must that be prudent? Yes. Can it involve compromise? No. Does it guarantee success? No.
But compromise on the life issues guarantees failure, because it surrenders the basic principle, up front. And as we have seen, it hasn't even been prudent. If Joan of Arc had stayed home, she may very well have been raped and killed by English soldiers, anyway. If Washington had wintered in Florida, no doubt the British would have eventually found him there. But his soldiers, as they left their bloody footprints in the snow, knew what they were fighting for: the God-given rights and dignity of the human person, including the inalienable right to live. When we compromise on abortion, we not only betray the babies, we also betray those brave men who bled in the Valley Forge snow.
Remember that the next time someone offers you half a loaf.
Dr. Bernhoft is a member of the Board of Advisors for the 100% Pro-Life PAC (PO Box 1601, Havertown, PA 19083) www.prolifepac.com. He is a former surgeon, pro-life leader and has recently co-authored “Healing the Culture” (Ignatius Press 2000) with Father Robert Spitzer, S.J. Dr. Bernhoft and his wife, Ali, homeschool their 6 children near Seattle, WA.