Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion indicates the Supreme Court may soon reverse Roe v. Wade, which guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion. Of course, the draft has received both praise and condemnation.
Several years ago, after I finished speaking at an event, I was approached by a young woman who thanked me for sharing the account of Frederick Douglass’ slave experience. She said that Douglass’ slave story helped her to shamefully realize she possessed a slave master’s mentality in regard to her abortion.
What I shared with the audience was the fact that plantation slave masters looked upon slaves as mere property and not people — regarding slaves as brutes. Plantation slaveholders reduced slaves from a human being to a thing, therefore reasoning they had the authority and power to take a slave’s life.
In my previous editorials, I often talk about the life-empowering values of Frederick Douglass: (1) Respect for the U.S. Constitution; (2) Economic prosperity; (3) Free speech; (4) Personal responsibility; (5) Limited power of government; (6) Legal immigration; (7) Religious liberty; (8) Respect for life, among others.
Frederick Douglass was a champion for the abolishment of slavery and an unyielding defender of life. For Douglass, respect for life covered the entire range of human existence — from the unborn to the elderly.
Abortion was not a major issue during Douglass’ time. However, I would like to share a few quotes from his writings that eloquently expressed his respect for human life and his reverence for the human spirit.
In his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Douglass expressed several deep admirations of life:
Recounting being whipped by his master, he wrote: “When I was treated exceedingly ill; when my back was being scourged daily; when I was whipped within an inch of my life—life was all I cared for. ‘Spare my life,’ was my continual prayer.”
Douglass wrote about the horrifying predicament of a disabled young woman being whipped by her master. He noted: “I have seen him tie up a lame young woman and whip her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders, causing the warm red blood to drip; … she fell into the fire, and burned herself horribly. Her hands were so burnt that she never got to use them. She could do very little but bear heavy burdens. She was to master a bill of expense…”
Douglass described the hurt and horror of watching a young slave woman being whipped. He wrote: “When I saw the slave-driver whip a slave-woman, cut the blood out of her neck, and heard her piteous cries, I went away into the corner of the fence, wept and pondered over the mystery.”
I previously thought that abortion was justified if a woman was a victim of rape. Over the years, after talking to several women who were rape victims and children who were born as a result of rape, I have evolved in my thinking. I have come to realize an abortion does not erase the trauma of rape. In fact, now with 3D and 4D Ultrasounds, killing another human being can be more traumatizing.
If we claim to possess fervent respect for life, then we must protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our society: the unborn.
A former member of President Trump’s Coalition Advisory Board, KCarl Smith is the President and CEO of KCarl Consulting Group, empowering freedom advocates with the confidence, knowledge and skills to trump the race card. His column appears every Thursday in 1819 News. To contact KCarl or request him for a speaking engagement go to http://kcarlinc.com/bookingsandfees . The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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