“While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men”.
~ General George Washington
Thank you for reading on –
I heard this quote during the talk on current Pro-Life policy given by Jamie Dangers, Director of Federal Affairs at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (sbaprolife.org) while in attendance at the AAPLOG Conference downtown a few weeks ago and it stayed with me.
As you may recall from my previous post, AAPLOG stands for American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A group of medical professionals who truly believe in the sanctity of life and putting their patients, born and unborn, first.
Jamie’s talk touched on something called the “Shield Law” which, at the time, I was somewhat familiar with but had not really thought about. In researching more about it I learned that it was originally formed for the purposes of protecting journalists from being compelled to reveal their confidential sources and has been in place since 1935!
In the 1970s the Shield Laws were also used to protect rape victims from public exposure and other aspects of their privacy.
In theory that reasoning is, well, reasonable.
Fast forward to 2023.
In the aftermath of the reversal of Roe some states decided to hijack and use “Shield Laws” for the protection of abortion providers, among others, involved in the procedure.
In effect, this created ‘safeguards’ for abortion providers to continue to give access to abortions for women who lived in states where new laws and protections against abortion were now in place.
So states, such as Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, among others, where abortion is either completely illegal or nearly so still have to contend with their citizens obtaining the abortion pill via the mail and telehealth services and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it.
You would not be surprised to learn that states such as California, New York, Massachusetts, and, of course, home sweet home, Washington are the ones shipping these drugs that end a developing life into those states whose residents voted against the legal murder of the unborn.
I think what struck me the most was the blatant twisting of a law that came about in protection of victims and those who sought to expose the perpetrators of abuses and injustice.
And now, 90 years later, the “Shield Law” is a refuge for those who exploit others and cause life-altering harm.
Going back to the quote by President George Washington, which is an exact excerpt from a letter written by him to Benedict Arnold on September 14, 1775, I am struck by the blatant disregard of one state’s leadership over another and their labor to block the consciences of those in office, and by extension and legal vote, their Constituents, to further their own ends – their ends being unfettered access to terminating the unborn with impunity.
If you know your American history then you know who and what Benedict Arnold was. It is not lost on me at all that Washington felt the need to remind Arnold about respecting freedom of conscience.
And yet here we are…..
In Lynnwood, just outside of Seattle, offering, free of charge, early pregnancy care, compassionate guidance, and a heart in service of and for women and girls in our community. ~ Heather M Vasquez
Thank you for your unfailing advocacy of our pro-life mission.
P.S. Save the Date!
The Next Step Gala is on Saturday September 19th! We welcome
Evie West as our Keynote. More info coming!
P.P.S. Have a green thumb?
Spring cleanup to beautify the clinic and welcome families with Spring planting is just around the corner. We’re also in search of monthly landscape and parking lot maintenance.
Contact heather@nextstepnw.com for more information.