For those favoring abortion rights, it’s a single word: control. Control of their bodies, control of their education or career—control over their lives. For people who believe babies are conceived by accident when a sperm happens to encounter an egg, that’s understandable.
For others of us, who believe God creates all life and says so directly in his word, the Bible, the viewpoint is dramatically different. His word says he knew us before he created us in our mother’s womb. We believe God is sovereign and he knows the number of hairs on my head as well as the days of my life.
Believing that God creates life and thus it starts at conception, I think abortion is wrong at any time--- 15 weeks or 20 weeks or four weeks or the third trimester. That’s why, as readily as it might be to rationalize abortion in case of rape or incest, God created that life as well. Carrying that child to term certainly requires plenty of support and understanding for the mother-to-be as well as ensuring she knows her options. Giving up a child for adoption can bless the mom, the new parents and the infant.
As one conservative put it, the mom is caring for two lives when she is carrying a baby. Both have been given by God the same unalienable rights.
The Supreme Court, in a major decision overshadowed by the abortion ruling, tossed out a New York state law of more than 100 years that required gun owners state a reason to carry a concealed weapon. California has a similar law requiring a police chief or sheriff issue the permit after being convinced it was necessary. The court held that requiring an owner to receive a government official’s permission was denying the right.
My friend, retired sheriff’s Lt. Jim Knudsen, served under Sheriff Charlie Plummer. Jim estimated in an email that there were only about 350 such permits across the county with more than 1.4 million residents in Plummer’s time. That’s how careful Plummer was when it come to issuing the permits.
For those of us who have been around for decades, you may remember when then-Livermore Councilman Marlin Ebert showed up for a City Council meeting with a gun in his briefcase. He had a concealed weapon permit because he was carrying cash for his business. It sure made for interesting headlines and debate for a bit.