“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” — Thomas Jefferson
Just as it is the moral responsibility of nurturant parents to protect and empower each child equally, so it is the moral responsibility of government to equally protect and empower each citizen. The children, as they mature, and later, as they become citizens, should benefit significantly from a balanced implementation of this moral responsibility. I say “should” because multiple variables affect the actualization of this responsibility and the well-being of children and citizens.
One variable is caring. The benefits of actualizing this moral responsibility are maximized when parents and/or governments care deeply for all those for which they are responsible. Funding/income/revenue is another variable, but caring is more significant than funding, and most other factors. Caring has life long psychological impacts. Funding is fleeting and one of many useful tools in life’s tool box.
So, to maximize the benefits of the moral responsibility to equally protect and empower our children and citizens, maximize caring and make sure the funding is available as needed to compliment that caring. Or to minimize the benefits, eliminate the caring and withdraw the funding.
And isn’t the latter just what the Texas Legislature and No Care Perry are doing to millions of Texans? But what should one expect from right-wing authoritarians who only care about themselves and are making sure they secure all the funding. They cut school funding and enabled transfer of some of the available funding to for-profit corporations. They rejected Medicaid funding, among other hateful acts, and now they want to force women to give birth to children in this state where minimizing caring is a primary government goal.
And just how will forcing the delivery of an unwanted alter the strong and natural tendency of women to care for a child – especially one from a pregnancy complicated by horrendous situations like rape or incest?
Is it really morally right to bring an unwanted, especially one created from abuse, into such an uncaring world?
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.” — Thomas Jefferson
