The role of government in a democracy is to legislate for the majority. Ideally, our political leaders must be motivated by the best interests of the greater whole. It is clear that in the United States there are many politicians who lack this intent and choose to be motivated by their own self-interest instead. In many cases, our leaders create policies that only serve the interests of certain groups rather than the majority. No matter what they say in their campaigns, the hidden agenda is always about serving these special interests in order to get elected and stay in power. Unfortunately, it does not matter if these politicians actually agree with the interests and beliefs of these groups or not, they will support them and legislate accordingly. Whether their policies affect the majority adversely is not a concern for them, and this is a real tragedy.
Although both political parties are subject to the above, it is my understanding that the agenda of the Republican Party, in a general sense, is more harmful to the American people today. Their platforms on the various issues that exist in American society are simply a way for them to be in elected positions and therefore provide a means to manifest what they really want, which is money and power. One of the most heated issues in America over the last several decades is the area of abortion rights. The Republican stance on this issue is of course “pro-life”. The reality is that the majority of Republican politicians really don’t care about abortion rights. What they are concerned with is supporting the viewpoint of a small group of American people who maintain a very conservative religious perspective. As we can see, this involves getting votes only and has nothing to do with providing policy and legislation that serves the good of the American public. Religious conservatives do absolutely have the right to believe what they want to. We all have the universal freedom to choose what we want to believe. What we want to be careful with, however, is to not allow our individual beliefs to become more powerful and influential than the needs of the greater group. A woman’s right to choose is a very important and personal matter. Let’s consider the following.
The Power of Choice
The importance of individual freedoms is a long-standing Republican position. The freedom of choice and the ability to pursue life as we see fit is the framework of democracy. The problem with the Republican Party is they always want to have it both ways. In other words, they only support individual freedom if it keeps them in power. Let it be said, we must have the power to make decisions for ourselves. This is a universal or spiritual right and is not subject to any outside individual, group, or political institution. The ability to make choices allows us to learn about ourselves through our own experiences. Whether to carry a pregnancy is again a very difficult and personal decision. To obtain an abortion or not is completely up to the woman in question, or at least it should be. The idea of right and wrong is a personal experience and should not come from the outside, you see. There are always consequences for every decision we make, but we must have the right to experience these consequences of our own accord.
Patriarchy and the Religious Right
The Religious Right has unfortunately maintained a much-misunderstood perspective about God and the spiritual reality that God represents and intends to bring forward. The truth is that religious conservatives are attempting to “speak for” something they do not fully understand. The reality is they do not speak for God, and neither does the Christian Church, nor any other religion for that matter. Regarding abortion, you could ask any of them to prove the validity of their beliefs from the standpoint of the Christian Scriptures, and they would not be able to do so. This, unfortunately, happens to be the case for most of their belief structure. The problem with religious zealotry is that it is purely emotional and therefore brings with it a misconstrued sense of ultimate right and wrong. It is not possible to see the truth when overcome with emotion. To understand something, we must have the ability to think through things clearly and objectively. This allows our beliefs to have practical value within the context of the greater whole. “Righteousness” in the name of God is merely a pursuit of self-interest and judgment. Real spiritual understanding comes from a place of humility, and this is clearly lacking in this group. No matter what our beliefs may be, if they allow us to have power over another by making decisions for them, or forcing them into something, we will find ourselves headed for danger. The ultimate truth, from a universal perspective, is that we do not have the right to choose for another. The fact that religious conservatism is really about patriarchy should give the women within these groups reason for pause. If women were to be truly honest with themselves, they would realize that they do not want men making decisions for them, or deciding for them what role they should play, not within their own home and not in greater society. The Religious Right in the U.S. is analogous to the Taliban in the Middle East. It is an attempt of certain men to have all the power, and nothing more. Again, our spiritual reality is one of equality. An honest assessment of the past behavior and lack of responsibility of the male gender involving children, reveals the need for women to be in charge of themselves. Many women have realized that the life of a child may be entirely in their hands in many cases, and it is they that will be ultimately responsible in the end.
Pro-Life and the Quality of Life
The Republican Party as it stands today is almost entirely made up of older, white males. This is a major concern for the majority of women, for it would not be in their best interest to let this party create policy regarding their own bodies and their right to choose. The activity of the Supreme Court should be viewed in this context as well. The “double-edged sword” of these men is that they want to decide what the woman’s role should be in society regarding reproductive rights but provide them no means to do so. In other words, in order to properly bring a child into this world, a woman needs to be prepared and have the resources necessary to succeed. The apprehension of many women concerning whether to bring a child into this world is also a practical matter, you see. For these men to demand that all pregnancies produce a child, and then turn around and not give this child a means to survive, is an absolute travesty. Once again, they want to have it both ways. I find it curious that Republicans want to protect individual rights when it comes to masking, for example, but care nothing about the life of a child. The compassionate woman understands that the quality of life of a child is indeed a very important factor when making decisions. The “pro-life” platform of the Republican Party has no real meaning or practical value as it is presented today. It is horrific when rape and incest result in a pregnancy. Overturning a woman’s right to abortion would require her to bring the child into the world anyway. Can you imagine the quality of life of a child that is unwanted, unloved, and not properly taken care of? The biggest tragedy of all is that many of them already exist. This is not about God. We understand God to be all about love. It’s time for us to adjust our beliefs and actions accordingly.
The recent attempts of the Republican Party to eliminate the rights of women in this country will most probably have a devastating effect on them at the polls. Women and men must stand up and say no more, however, or these particular men will succeed. As a practical matter for all of us, we must always let people find their own way and be able to make their own decisions regarding their life. To believe we can have power over another is a dangerous and tragic path. We have plenty of work to do on ourselves alone. As far as the need for many to have a mission in life, perhaps they could adjust their beliefs and support gender equality and the equitable distribution of resources. That would be a mission indeed! The effects of such a mission would be inclusive and far-reaching, for sure.
All my love and support, be well
*This article was originally published almost a year ago. With the recent decision of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade, I felt it was appropriate to have another look at this point and see how the Supreme Court and the Republican Party as they stand today, clearly have a strong relationship with one another. Do we think this is ok?