Post 4

               Policing women’s bodies are a controversial topic. I remember a class discussion “Undue Burden” that happened in the course American Government last semester. According to Nolo dictionary, undue burden means having the purpose or effect of placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a fetus that is not yet viable. In the case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey about in1992, the Supreme Court upheld a so-called “informed consent” law adopted by Pennsylvania. The law requires that all women seeking an abortion first be given literature produced by the state enumerating alternatives to abortion and wait a minimum of 24 hours before the abortion is performed. The state law also requires young women under 18 to obtain written consent for the abortion from a parent or guardian. Supporters believe that the goal is to protect women. However, opponents claim that it is against women’s right. They think imposing undue burden on women is not constitutional. In Casey case, the Court declared that it would not now ask whether the restriction placed “an undue burden” on women seeking to have an abortion.

               If we think outside the box, it might be a moral choice. In our modern society, we are accustomed to rely on laws and rules to regulate our behavior. It works; but it does not work well. Laws and rules can regulate people’s surface behavior, but they cannot regulate people’s hearts. As we know, human beings are not angels; their selfish nature will mess things up. It is like ThomasJefferson said, “experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind.” When they believe no one watching them or they can bypass the monitor of the laws and rules, they still commit wrong deeds. That is why no matter how many laws and rules we make to organize the behavior of the government and the citizens, there are still huge social problems and potential crisis.   

               When a problem occurs, people try their best to find a way to fix, and then make a law or a rule to prevent it happening again. Afterward, when a new problem arises, we find a way out, and then make a law. This process goes on and on. People live like animals are kept in the cages. In the end, the solutions what we create are sealing ourselves off. Today, under the big wave of commercial economy, in order to pursuit maximum interest, people’s moral values are deteriorating daily. Consequently, many kinds of problems continue to emerge. The debate of policing women’s bodies will keep going.

               The key point is what is the standard that we should follow or measure things right or wrong rather than making laws to regulate people’s behavior. I believe the God created the world. Therefore, the God’s teaching certainly should be criterion that we should follow. We can see “In God We Trust” in our money bill. The first time “In God We Trust” appeared in the currency in 1957. Later on it became the official national motto. “President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law H.R. 619, a bill that required that the inscription “In God We Trust” appear on all paper and coin currency.”  “‘Nothing can be more certain than that our country was founded in a spiritual atmosphere and with a firm trust in God,’ [Representative Charles E.] Bennett proclaimed on the House Floor. ‘While the sentiment of trust in God is universal and timeless, these particular four words In God We Trust are indigenous to our country.’ Furthermore, Bennett invoked the cold war struggle in arguing for the measure. ‘In these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom, we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom,’ he said. Adding In God We Trust to currency, Bennett believed, would ‘serve as a constant reminder’ that the nation’s political and economic fortunes were tied to its spiritual faith”(“The Legislation Placing ‘In God We Trust’ On National Currency”). The idea is pretty awesome. It is very meaningful to our society today.

                No matter West or East, all righteous religions ban killing. When a woman gets pregnant, a fetus is also a life. Abortion means killing. If we are back to our nation’s motto “In God We Trust” and use God’s teaching as a standard to measure everything, there could be easy to discern what we should do or should not do. Hence, not only women’s bodies should be policed, but also men’s bodies.

 Works Cited

“The Legislation Placing ‘In God We Trust’ On National Currency”. History.house.gov. United

                        States House of Representatives. Web. May 6, 2015.