Opinion
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr.
02-11-24
One of the key issues in the 2024 elections may be abortion. The Democrats are hoping to distract the voters from a failed and terribly corrupt Biden administration by raising the issue of abortion. We must not let them do so. We must speak the truth about this issue, and their extreme, radical agenda. We must speak spiritual truth, scientific truth, medical truth, legal truth, political truth, and social truth.
First of all, abortion is the murder of an unborn baby, and is a terrible sin. This is the spiritual truth. God says in the Bible that “I knew you before I formed you in the womb.” Jeremiah 1:5. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16. And, “children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5. God also said “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17. God says that all life is sacred, since man is made in the image of God and contains a spirit and soul as well as a body. Genesis 1:26. The medical abortion of a baby in the womb is analogous to the child sacrifice system of ancient times that was condemned by God in the Old Testament. The people of that day were actually offering their children as a sacrifice to the pagan gods of Molech and Baal, and this brought down a curse upon their nation. See: Jeremiah 19:1-15. If America continues to kill unborn babies it is difficult to see how God will not also bring down a curse upon America, if indeed that has not already begun.
Second, the life of a baby human begins at conception, with the union of the sperm and the egg. Science has confirmed this is so. A recent survey of biologists from 1000 academic institutions around the world found that 96% agreed that human life begins with conception or fertilization. When the sperm unites with the egg, there is an amazing electrical explosion which creates a new organism called the zygote. This is scientific truth. The fertilized egg has all of the DNA of the father and mother at the time of conception. Liberals always talk about science, but refuse to listen to what medical science shows us about life in the womb.
Third, abortion results in pain for the baby and major mental and physical health problems for the mother. This is medical truth. Sonograms now reveal that unborn babies are fully formed after 12 weeks in the womb. Science tells us that unborn babies can feel the pain of abortion as early as 3 months and at least by 15 weeks. To abort the fetus is the violent murder of an unborn human being. Most abortions are done by chemical and other surgical means that tear the body of the baby apart limb by limb. It is painful and violent for the baby. Anyone who has seen an abortion knows that it is horrendous and obscene. Our Declaration of Independence says we have right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Life is our most important right!
Liberals also have sought the right of women to have access to the so-called abortion pill OTC without a doctor’s prescription or supervision. Abortion pills end a pregnancy while “morning after” pills allegedly prevent pregnancy from occurring. There is a debate as to whether the morning after pill actually prevents a fertilized egg from being implanted in the lining of the uterus. If so, that can be considered abortion if you believe that life begins at conception or the union of the sperm and egg. The abortion pill (Mifepristone or RU 486) is a strong synthetic chemical which is used for women up to 10 weeks pregnant. It causes he uterine lining to shed the fertilized egg. Misoprostol is also used with it to cause the uterus to contract. In 2023, a federal judge in Texas suspended the FDA approval of the abortion pill. The Fifth Circuit Court of appeals allowed the FDA approval with some restrictions. The Supreme Court is now considering whether it can be used without a prescription and whether the FDA should have approved its use despite its dangers. This pill kills the fertilized egg, so it is clearly abortion, which is murder. The abortion pill can only be taken in the first few weeks of pregnancy and can cause heavy bleeding, fever, headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and cramping. While hemorrhaging is rare, it can cause the death of the mother. It can also cause a life threatening infection if fetal tissue remains in the uterus. It can also cause increased infertility due to uterine scarring. It also not only endangers women physically but mentally and psychologically as it is very traumatic to for a women to kill an unborn baby in their own womb by this or any other means. Anxiety, depression and PTSD can result.
Fourth, the reversal of Roe v Wade in 2023 was one of the great decisions of the Supreme Court, and was a major answer to prayer. This is the legal truth. Roe v Wade wrongly created a Constitutional right to abortion that was not found in the Constitution and never intended. A liberal Supreme Court created this right, and it resulted in a terrible tragedy for our nation. The abortion industry is pro-death and has caused the great American holocaust. Over 70 million unborn babies have been killed since Roe v Wade was issued in 1973. An entire generation of Americans has been killed. This has impacted the nation in terrible ways, such as a reduced workforce and a crisis in our Social Security retirement system. President Trump, to his credit, appointed three Supreme Court Justices who created the majority on the court to reverse Roe. The Court last year rightly decided that there was no Constitutional right to abortion, and that the issue should be decided by each state, as it was before Roe in 1973.
Fifth, abortion has been and is now a very divisive political issue for America. This is political truth. Much like slavery, this issue has divided the nation for decades. The Democrats will use this issue on state constitutional ballot initiatives in many key states to bring out liberal voters. They hope to use this issue to defeat President Trump, their ultimate aim. They will say that abortion is “health care” for women, and that it is part of a woman’s “reproductive rights”. However, abortion is NOT health care, and women have no “reproductive right” to kill their unborn baby. Abortion is not health care because it actually threatens the health and life of the mother. It is the opposite of health care! And, since abortion is the killing of an unborn or preborn human being, no one has the “reproductive right” to kill a baby in the womb. There is no such thing in the law called “reproductive rights” other than the right of all people to conceive and have children (and use contraception or birth control). The rights of the mother and father end when the rights of the unborn baby begin. Like slavery, we must end the terrible stain of abortion on our land.
The Democrats now go far beyond the limits of Roe v Wade (which was viability after the first trimester) and now advocate abortion all the way up the time of birth. This is a very radical, extreme political position. Polls show that 70% of the voters want some restrictions on abortion. We need to inform the voters about the Democrat’s radical agenda. Some proposed amendments forbid any legal restrictions on abortion! The voters will be confused about the Democrat ballot initiatives due to the wording of the proposed amendments. The proposed Florida amendment would allow all abortions for the “health of the patient” which is way too vague, and which would allow abortions up to the time of birth. We need to speak the truth and insure that these amendments are defeated. Since all abortion is murder, all of these state constitutional amendments should be defeated.
The state of Florida has enacted the “Heartbeat Law” which makes abortion illegal after a baby has a heartbeat, which is usually about 5-6 weeks. There is an exception for a risk to the life of the mother or a fatal fetal anomaly. While I think that all abortion should be prohibited, I favor the Florida law because a heartbeat clearly denotes a human life. If the cessation of a heartbeat indicates death, then logically the start of a heartbeat should indicate the beginning of life. An exception for rape and incest is also politically wise. The Florida “heartbeat” law is more restrictive than the “viability” standard of Roe v. Wade (abortion should be legal prior to the viability of the fetus which is about 26 weeks). The Florida law is basically a total ban on abortion because a woman usually only finds out that she is pregnant after five weeks. Ohio just passed a state Constitutional amendment which makes abortion legal up to viability or 22 weeks. This is basically a codification of Roe v. Wade. Common law and state law up to the time of the Civil War generally forbade abortion after “quickening” which is the first detection of movement which is around 20 weeks, but this concept was used by the law before the onset of modern medicine. Every state can now decide when abortion can be legal. While a national abortion law could be enacted by the U.S. Congress, that is not likely due to the current makeup of the Congress. So we need to lobby in each state for a righteous law. I believe we should always base our laws upon the Bible and the Word of God, which, in my view, makes all abortion a sin.
Finally, we must speak social and religious truth: there are many wonderful Christian pro-life ministries that are now available to women who are pregnant. In Nassau County, Florida, they provide free ultrasounds and counseling on how to care for and provide for the baby. One such clinic is Women’s Help Center, 541841 US 1, Callahan, Florida, 32011, (904)628-0365. Another is The Nest at 86155 Appaloosa Avenue in Yulee (904) 619-4914. Another is Skylark Women’s Health Clinic at 1891 GA State road 40, #1107, Kingsland Georgia(912) 729-8842. The women of America should take a stand for the sanctity of life and save their babies. Adoption is always one good option, and much preferable to death. Millions of couples in America who cannot have children are waiting in line to adopt a child. Contact Abiding Love Adoptions in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina at 800-277-0748. God is pro life and we should be pro life as well! Let us pray that America will turn back to God and to the sanctity of life. To Life!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR- JUDGE JOHN MARSHALL MEISBURG JR.
Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., was a U.S. Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration for 26 years in Jacksonville, Florida. He retired as a judge in 2021 and is now living in Fernandina Beach, Florida with his wife of 43 years, Dr. Denise Meisburg. They have six children and 11 grandchildren. Prior to being a judge, he was a lawyer with the Federal government for 23 years, serving in all three branches of the government, with the U.S. District Court, EEOC, Justice Department, Congress, FDIC and Office of Special Counsel (MSPB). He was in private law practice one year in Washington, D.C. and filed the lawsuit that became the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case on sexual harassment. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, and a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is a lifelong Christian, being raised in the Baptist faith in Louisville, Kentucky. He was an Elder at New Life Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville where he taught Sunday School, the Jewish Roots of the Faith and the Christian Heritage of America. He was a leader of both the National Day of Prayer and the House of Prayer in Jacksonville for over ten years. He has published ten books relating to Christian and legal ssues. He is now a member of Living Waters World Outreach Center in Fernandina Beach, where he serves in the prayer and home group ministry, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Faith Christian Academy.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida
