How Do the Powerless “Assert Their Rights”?

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While in Washington DC for the Students for Life Annual Conference, my wife and I took a couple of extra days to take in as much history as we could. The city had cleared after the inauguration and March for Life, and we had a great time! Towards the end of the first day, we visited the National Archives (which, by the way is quite a bit darker than it appears in National Treasure). As I made my way around the freedom display, which includes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I was struck by the words on this placard:

When the Constitution took effect in 1789, it did not "secure the blessings of liberty" to all people. The expansion of rights and liberties has been achieved over time, as people once excluded from the protections of the Constitution asserted their rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence. These Americans have fostered movements resulting in laws, Supreme Court decisions, and constitutional amendments that have narrowed the gap between the ideal and the reality of American freedom. (emphasis added)

Perhaps you see where I'm going with this. Historically speaking, when groups of people have been "excluded from the protections of the Constitution", it is the victim class itself, which often plays a crucial role in "asserting their rights" as "set forth in the Declaration of Independence" – namely that all men are created equal and deserving of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Think Martin Luther King or Susan B. Anthony. What do we do then, when the victim class is so powerless and so helpless, that they don't even have the capacity to assert their rights? This is precisely what is happening with abortion. In destroying the most vulnerable members of the human community, abortion targets a truly voiceless minority. If this injustice is ever to end, it won't be because the victim class suddenly rises up to demand equal protection under the law. Remember that the next time you're tempted to justify a lack of involvement by arguing that abortion isn't "your problem". If we don't make their problem, our problem, nothing will ever change.

And in case you're wondering how you can do that, we've got some suggestions...