When The Government Becomes Wicked

This is Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York State. This is a very wicked man. 

You've probably heard that New York State has just passed the  most liberal abortion laws in the nation. We who watch the political balance in N.Y. knew this was coming. I blogged about it HERE after the election last year.

According to New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF), the new law makes the following changes:

1. It redefines what a human is. Any child not born is not human, and has no human rights. Thus, there is no longer any crime committed against unborn children in cases where pregnant women miscarry after being assaulted. 

2. It allows abortions up to the time of birth for any reason. No ambiguity.

3. It allows abortions to be performed by medical personnel other than physicians.

4. It makes it legal for viable babies born alive following late-term abortions to be denied medical care. 

So now, in my state, unborn children can be legally killed at any time before they are born, and if they happen to survive an abortion (which occasionally happens), they can be left to die. Furthermore, abortion is no longer "a matter between a woman and her doctor" because non-doctors will now be able to do the killings.

This law is so evil and so grievous that it boggles my mind. In a recent e-mail, Jason McGuire at NYCF wrote the following:

By passing the [Reproductive Health Act], the State of New York has embraced the proposition that some living human beings do not deserve the protection of our laws. This proposition flies in the face of our American tradition of respect for human life. Without the right to life, the other rights guaranteed in the Constitution have no meaning. Contrary to the rhetoric of RHA advocates, abortion access does nothing to advance the rights of women; rather, it invites both women and men to view unborn children—their own unborn children—as disposable objects.

Instead of celebrating the passage of the RHA as a milestone, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms views the passage of this bill as an occasion for mourning. Our state needs a course correction—not just legislatively, but also morally and spiritually.

May God have mercy on our benighted State of New York, on women, and on the unborn.

I had to look up the word "benighted." 

One definition is: "in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance." Another definition is: "overtaken by darkness."

The word is so appropriate.

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One of the mostly legitimate functions of government is to establish and enforce just laws, and to punish evildoers. But what happens when traditional understandings about right and wrong are changed? What happens when government goes from punishing evildoers to protecting evildoers? And furthermore, it even promotes and  encourages evil through it's laws? 

Answer: Nothing good.

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I was 15 years old in 1973, when the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision was made. At that time I was ambivalent about abortion. I really didn't see any problem with it. But I really didn't know the facts.

When I actually read about the abortion procedures, and I saw the pictures of aborted babies, I knew in an instant that it was wrong... I knew that it was evil. 

Today I went looking for a YouTube video showing in close detail an actual partial birth abortion. I couldn't find one. You can find all kinds of actual surgery videos on YouTube, but you will not find one showing the actual graphic images of a live baby being systematically killed and extracted, often in pieces. I did, however, find this...

That video breaks my heart like nothing else can. Only a psychopath could watch that and not be impacted by the wickedness of it. 

In a previous blog post I made the observation that humans have an incredible ability to justify the worst kinds of behavior. You won't find a better example of this than abortion. 

Unfortunately, that video has precious few views. But I understand why. I really didn't want to watch it either.

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My wife and I have financially supported our local pregnancy care center for many years. And we have supported other such organizations from time to time. Many thousands of Christians have done this since 1973. Why? What do we gain by trying to save the lives of unborn babies? Do we profit from this? 

No. Not at all. We do it because we're horrified by the abortion industry. It lies to women, it kills their children, and it profits immensely.

Last fall my wife and I, along with a few people from our church stood for a 1-hour "shift" across the street from the abortion provider in Ithaca, NY. We stood silently, holding signs. Ithaca is a liberal enclave in the middle of conservative upstate NY. Some people driving by expressed their anger towards us. It was an uncomfortable experience.

But, in reality, I have not done that much to battle for the life of unborn children. I feel guilt and remorse about it.

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I like to watch Greg Hunter's YouTube programs at Watchdog USA. He was once an investigative reporter for CNN. Greg is a passionate guy. 

I don't always agree with his interviewed guests. For example, I don't even listen to the interviews with Mark Taylor, because I'm just not interested in anyone's prophetic prognostications. But Greg gets some good economic insights from some guests.

Every Friday, Greg Hunter does a "Weekly News Roundup" and in today's roundup he discusses (among other things) the new abortion law in New York. If you have an interest, here it is...

Greg always ends his YouTube shows by telling his audience to "fear not, because God the father and his son Jesus Christ are in control." 

I agree with part of that. I believe that God is sovereign over His creation and intimately involved in history, down to the smallest of details. But fear not?  That part I question.

Frankly, I fear God. I fear His justice, His judgment, and His wrath on nations that have turned their back on His law. Nations that not only exalt unrighteousness in so many ways, but flaunt it. Nations like America.

I harbor no illusions about the goodness of America. We have forsaken the Godly foundations of the American Republic. We have squandered our inheritance. We are a wicked nation. God owes us nothing but smoke and ashes. 

Laws, once passed, are not easily reversed. From my human perspective, I see my nation in the midst of collapse on several fronts. It is accelerating. I'm not optimistic about the short term prospects. But I still have hope.

My hope is that the inevitable consequences of national sins will eventually lead to national repentance—that out of the ashes America will return to being a nation that fears God. 

Time will tell how it all plays out. Meanwhile, I am thankful for the mercy and grace God extends to his people in the midst of the storms of life and history.