By Tom Kelly
Why did our Vice President omit the word “Life” yesterday when she referred to the Declaration of Independence?
Yesterday our Vice President made reference to the Declaration of Independence during remarks in Florida to mark the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the abortion decision overturned last June by the US Supreme Court in Dobbs. In her remarks she left out the most important of the rights mentioned in the document – Life – and left out any reference to the Creator who endowed us with those rights until the end of her speech, where with irony she asked the Creator to bless us. If you want to see the 25 minute appearance check it out at whitehouse.gov. The two-minute quote about the declaration begins at about 8 minutes and 50 seconds. Vice President Harris Delivers Remarks on the 50th Commemoration of the Roe v. Wade Decision – YouTube.
Anyway, let’s be reminded of our Declaration of Independence. As Thomes Jeffereson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed . . . “
Vice President Kamala Harris said: “America is a promise of freedom and liberty, not for some but for all. A promise we made in the Declaration of Independence that we are endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Be clear, these rights were not bestowed upon us, they belong to us as Americans. And it is that freedom and liberty that enabled generations of Americans to chart their own course and decide their own future with, yes, ambition and aspiration. Therein lies the strength of our nation and since our founding we have been on a march forward to fully realize our promise to complete the unfinished work to secure freedom and liberty for all.” At the end of the speech, VP Harris says, “May God Bless you and may God Bless America.”
Unlike the revisionist history espoused by VP Harris, the signatories, those who actually declared our independence 246 years ago told King George that as human persons (not merely as Americans) we are endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (not merely liberty and the pursuit of happiness). The declaration referred to “these truths” as “self-evident.” But apparently not to VP Harris. It seems obvious VP Harris intentionally left out “Life.” Perhaps the word “Life” would interfere with her anti-life message.
As Jefferson wrote, it is self-evident that life would be included in any litany of rights and that it would be listed first, as the most important. Not so self-evident to VP Harris. The inclusion of Life in the declaration was no accident and it was not mentioned first by accident either. As Father Robert Spitzer noted in a 2017 article, Six Principles of Individual Dignity and Rights, the order of the rights was no doubt a product of a philosophical principle he termed “the necessary hierarchy of rights:” In other words, since a condition precedent to “pursuit of happiness” (which embodies “property rights”) is liberty, liberty (or autonomy) comes before “pursuit of happiness.” Further, since “Life” is a condition precedent to the exercise of all other rights, it comes before liberty and property rights. Life comes first.
All this begs the question – why did our seemingly Vice President omit the word “Life” from her reference to the Declaration of Independence? The answer seems obvious to me. Life isn’t important to her and does not warrant government protection as we “march forward.” In the end, I can agree with her that we need to ask for God’s blessing. I would add that we also need to ask for His mercy.
The author is a Barre resident, 2022 candidate for Vermont House, and coordinator of the Barre 40 Days for Life prayer vigil.