(Captain Thom Moffitt) – My friends on the Right will argue that “life” is a social justice issue from the perspective of both those born and those unborn; that ALL life should be protected. My friends on the Left will say that it is a social justice issue for the woman and child who find themselves in such a situation as to consider a “choice” as their only option. There seems to be then an obligation required of both political parties to address the issue in a way that seeks a just outcome.
The introduction to The Salvation Army International Headquarters Position Statement on Abortion reads, “The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of fertilization. It considers each person to be of infinite value, and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved. The Salvation Army supports efforts to protect and promote the welfare of the weak and defenseless person, including the unborn.”
One may argue that The Army’s position is non-political in nature and to suggest otherwise – especially in the case of the American political debate – is to take it out of international context. However, whereas Salvationists are positioned neutral in matters of party politics, there is implicitly an international understanding that The Army will enter the political debate with regard to matters of social need and the welfare of humanity. Based on Biblical expectation, this position statement makes our position as “young” Salvationists of voting age clear. The political position of all Salvationsists should be one that upholds Biblical statements of sanctity and dignity of all human life. And our attitude on that issue alone stands as the basis for how we respond to all other social, economic and political issues.
The sanctity and dignity of human life is the prima facie argument for all other social justice issues. We care about the homeless because we affirm the quality of all human life wherever it may reside, we are interested in asserting the rights of the oppressed because we value human dignity for all people, we defend and seek to rescue the sex trafficked because living means more than just simply surviving through it, but rather being restored to a new life; we support fair trade issues as we seek to treat human laborers humanely with a decent wage for decent work; and differently than that of an animal doing similar work. And with regards to the War … we seek to end all war, but in a way that continues to protect the freedoms of life and liberty for all humanity. Our response to these issues will always come back to our perspective on life. What will your vote this November say about your perspective on the sanctity and dignity of human life?
With less than three weeks to Election Day at the writing of this article, I encourage every voter, whether you have decided who you will vote for or not – as most of us will likely vote for a variety of local and state candidates as well as Federal – to take the time to consider more than simply who you will support for President. Read through each party’s platform as it pertains to social justice issues.
It is from those positions that each party will respectively lead.