Helaman 5:2 For as their laws and their governments were established by the avoice of the people, and they who bchose evil were cmore numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were dripening for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted.
3 Yea, and this was not all; they were a astiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction.
It’s pretty clear that one of the biggest dynamics of the 2022 midterm election was that voters see killing babies as one of their most important priorities. Moloch is pleased.
From Lifesite.
Americans voted Tuesday on abortion-related ballot initiatives in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Vermont, and as of 5:30AM CST Wednesday morning, abortion allies have maintained the lead in all five vote totals.
A proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution expressly guaranteeing “an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy,” including abortion, was the first to be decided, with 77.4% voting in favor, making Vermont the first state to formally enshrine abortion “rights” in its constitution.
As of the time of this writing, a California initiative to add a “fundamental right to choose to have an abortion” to its state constitution had 65% of the vote in its favor with 41 percent of the votes counted. The amendment’s success was a foregone conclusion given California’s status as the most liberal state in the Union.
Michigan’s so-called Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative seeks to establish a state constitutional “right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care.” As this update is being published, 55.6% of Michiganders voted to approve it. The Associated Press called this vote with 84% of the vote counted.
While the above results are disappointing to pro-lifers, two all come from more left-wing states while the third in Michigan comes in a battleground state that saw Democrats win statewide by significant margins. Heavy Democratic turnout likely helped propel the abortion measure in Michigan. The remaining two referendums, however, may be cause for greater concern.
Kentucky’s proposed amendment clarifying that its constitution does not “secure or protect a right to abortion, or require the funding of abortion,” meant to stop abortion allies from blocking pro-life laws in court, is currently behind with 52.6% voting against it.
Lastly, Montana posed to voters not a constitutional amendment but a proposed state law to recognize the personhood of preborn babies who survive abortions and guarantee they be cared for. At the time of this writing, 52.6% of voters oppose it.
These percentages are potentially subject to change once the remainder of the states’ votes are counted. But if they hold, they suggest a serious challenge for pro-life reformers moving forward.
By restoring states’ ability to fully decide abortion policy, the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade in June unleashed a new status quo and rampant speculation about how voters will react to it. Tuesday’s defeats follow a proposed amendment to clarify that the Kansas Constitution does not protect abortion failing at the ballot in August. At the time, pro-lifers attributed the loss in large part to pervasive misinformation about pro-life laws’ impact of women facing medical emergencies.
I have an anecdote on this issue. An elderly lifelong Republican close family member in Colorado, who only watches local TV news, specifically voted against a Republican pro-life candidate in a congressional race because he was convinced by the local news that if this person gets elected all abortion will become illegal in Colorado.
None of us can understand why this was important to an elderly man, but it was the single most important issue to him in this election cycle.
Most readers are saying to themselves: what? The overturn of Roe v. Wade simply meant the issue will be decided on a state level, and Colorado is among the most abortion friendly states in the country. In fact, abortions are up 33 percent in Colorado this year, so plenty of baby killing is going on here to make up for any loss of baby killing in other states. And there is zero chance the abortion industry will disappear during our lifetimes in this state.
But somehow the propagandists in the news and in the Democratic party have convinced people, including a lot of Republicans, that abortion is about to become illegal everywhere. It is very frustrating.
Just for the record, here is the Church’s position on abortion:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life. Therefore, the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions.
The Church allows for possible exceptions for its members when:
Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.
Even these exceptions do not automatically justify abortion. Abortion is a most serious matter. It should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer. Members may counsel with their bishops as part of this process.
The Church’s position on this matter remains unchanged. As states work to enact laws related to abortion, Church members may appropriately choose to participate in efforts to protect life and to preserve religious liberty.
I want to end by pointing out that the people have not all chosen evil yet in the United States. There were some victories for the good guys, including the reelection of one of the best senators in Congress, Mike Lee from Utah. But the overall trends are not good when the primary motivating factor for millions of people is unlimited ability to destroy the souls sent to us by our Heavenly Father.