My letter on the right to privacy- first draft

[alfredo]

Being pro-life and pro Roe Vs Wade is not as odd as it seems. In these times of our paranoid government spying on us, the right to privacy is even more important. Years ago a "pro life" congressman admitted that the affirmation of a right to privacy was at the core of his opposition to Roe Vs Wade. Protecting the unborn was just a means to an end.

Why would our lawmakers be against Americans having a right to privacy? Remember, every Supreme court nominee of Reagan, Bush I and Bush II said there is no right to privacy in the Constitution. Sure it isn't explicit, but it is implied in the 3rd which protects your possessions against housing soldiers on your property, unreasonable searches are forbidden by the 4th. The 5th protects against self incrimination. The 9th says there are rights that go beyond what is spelled out in the Bill of Rights. Most of all, the 1st guarantees our right to believe what we want. Maybe they are like Justice Scalia in thinking we have no rights that are not explicitly spelled out in the Bill of Rights.

So yes, stand up for the unborn, but don't give the authoritarians a tool to erode our right to be left alone. Our right to "Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness" is important. Don't discard our liberty to protect life, because our rights should not end when we draw that first breath.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Good start

say more about how protecting the unborn has been used as a means to an end. Make it personal--should the government be allowed to look at medical records, for example?

[alfredo]

2. I wanted to, but there's a 250 word limit.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Well, you did a good job for 250 words n/t

[alfredo]

7. Is that my daily affirmation? Thanks

[MindPilot]

3. we have no rights that are not explicitly spelled out in the Bill of Rights.

You may want to point out the fallacy of that argument since many believe that the Constitution and the BoR "grants" or "guarantees" rights. It does not.

Rights are something you have simply by virtue of being a living human being. Some of them are so important that the Founders thought it necessary to specifically prohibit the government from taking them away. Privacy should be one of those.

[drmeow]

4. Excellent point

it is even made in the Declaration of Independence: "... they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights"

[alfredo]

5. Good point. My goal is to undermine the politicians that are pushing a

pro life agenda. I want to show that protecting the sanctity of life is not their first priority.

[VP505]

8. Exactly

what I think the Constitution is, by framing it that way there should be NO question about a right to privacy.

[alfredo]

9. Thank you. Now the task of working with my "in house editor."

My wife is a writer, so it going to be tough to stand up to her red pen.