Personhood: Legal Tactics

8/3/2019 Personhood: Legal Tactics

1/4

Images not displaying properly? Click here to view the online version.

A Weekly Column By Walter B. Hoye II

Conflict Of

Interest

In the abortion debate, is there a "Conflict of Interest"within the Black community and among her leaders?

Subscribe Unsubscribe Forward Archives Issue No.: 2011.353

Personhood: Legal Tactics

"A rift over legal tactics has split the Pro-Life movement" 1

Vision, Strategy, and Tactics

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." King Solomon (Proverbs 29:18)

Vision is defined as your dream of the future.

Strategy is defined as your long-range plan to makethe dream happen so it may need to change in

response to internal or external conditions, but

strategy changes should only happen with

considerable thought. Tactics are defined as the

specific actions you will take to achieve your strategy.

Tactics are the most flexible. If a tactic isn't working,

adjust it and try again. It is often recommended to

start with a vision (Proverbs 29:18) and then work

down to the tactics. While strategy and tactics can

and should change over time, yourvision will be the

anchor that holds the strategies and tactics together

when the waves get high and the storm billows blow.

Legal Tactics

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory." Sun Tzu ()


2/4

Legal tactics in opposition to legalized abortion

include promoting the Pro-Life position to the public,

electing and lobbying public officials, mass

demonstrations, literature distribution, sidewalk

counseling, supporting pregnancy care centers, public

and/or private prayer vigils, graphic signs, and even

specialty license plates. All have their place. All have

their strengths. All have their weaknesses. All have

their ardent followers. All have their opponents.

Time and Tactics

Today it's been 14,203 days or thirty-eight (38) years,

ten (10) months and twenty (20) days since Monday,

January 22nd, 1973. Things change. Since Roe v. Wade and Doe V. Bolton we

have lost the lives of over fifty-five (55) million babies and counting to surgical

abortions during all nine (9) months of pregnancy alone. Right now, abortions are

declining by just 1.2% a year. 2 At that rate, it will take nearly one hundred (100)

years to cut the annual death toll in half and two hundred (200) years to endabortion on demand all together. As I write this column, I am aware that Black

America has lost over twenty (20) million of the over fifty-five (55) million lives lost to

abortion and at the rate we are aborting our children, I am painfully aware that we

won't last another 100 years. If vision must be held on to. If strategy must be

reviewed and reworked. If the Pro-Life movement is going to effect herstrategy and

achieve hervision of a world that respects life at all stages of development by love

and by law, ourtactics must be flexible.

The Art Of War

"Therefore, when I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but

respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways." Sun Tzu ()


3/4

In the Pro-Life movement there is a "rift over legal

tactics" among sincere and dedicated warriors. Many

favor an all-out legal attack on Roe. v. Wade.

However, at least twenty-five (25) cases 3 and briefs

attempting to overturn Roe v. Wade including those

cases and briefs arguing Fourteenth (14th)

Amendment Personhood have been filed to no avail.

Others favorstrategies and tactics that install state

laws that reduce, regulate or restrict abortion in an

effort to chip away at Roe until higher polls and more

political equity is in place to end legalized abortion.

Still others favor and embrace strategies and tactics

that do not include walking through the front door of

the Supreme Court and arguing their case before the

Bench.

We Wrestle Not Again Flesh And Blood

It's easy to see the wisdom in the above quote. SunTzu, the celebrated military general and strategist who

authored the definitive military treatise entitled "The Art of War," clearly points out

the need to be creative when developing strategies and tactics. However, it's the

words of the Apostle Paul to the angel of the church in Ephesus that come to my

mind today. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,

against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual

wickedness in high places." 4 "There is utterly a fault among us." 5 So we must "try

every spirit" 6 and stop fighting one another. It's time we all work together as the

Body of Christ, fight sin from every vantage point as God has gifted each of us to do

so, leave the results to God and give Him the glory for the great things He has done.

Because " whatsoever is not of faith is sin." 7

Brothers, we really need to talk.

Note(s):

Sun Tzu, "The Art of War", is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu (also referred to as "Sunzi" and"Sun Wu"). It is one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy in the world. (http://www.sonshi.com).

Reference(s):

1. Erik Eckholm, "Anti-Abortion Groups Are Split on Legal Tactics", New York Times, 12/04/2011 (http://nyti.ms/sH9vkS).

2. Dennis M. Howard, Founder and President of Movement for a Better Amrica, "Yes, we can end abortion within your lifetime and

mine" (http://bit.ly/stU6f8).

3. Cases & Briefs Attempting to Overturn Roe v. Wade and/or arguing 14th Amendment Personhood, [Ordered by date of United

States Supreme Court disposition with most recent first], June 15th, 2011 (http://bit.ly/vEeaEx).4. Ephesians 6:12, King James Version of The Bible (http://bit.ly/3vP8jE).

5. 1st Corinthians 6:7a, King James Version of The Bible (http://bit.ly/t8iTum).

6. 1st John 4:1, King James Version of The Bible (http://bit.ly/hsBZpJ).

7. Romans 14:23, King James Version of The Bible (http://bit.ly/uRjoMP).

Click Here To Support Our Work. The Issues4Life Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All

donations are tax deductible. To send a donation via U.S. Mail, please make the check or money order payable to

the "Issues4Life Foundation" and send it to the address below.

Issues4Life Foundation

1684 Decoto Road, Suite 261

California Civil Rights Foundation

1684 Decoto Road, Suite 251


4/4

Union City, California 94587-3544

[email protected]

www.issues4life.org

Union City, California 94587-3544

[email protected]

www.civilrightsfoundation.org

Copyright 2011 Issues4Life Foundation | California Civil Rights Foundation. All rights reserved.To ensure our newsletter always reaches your inbox, please add the above "FROM" email address to your

address book. If you prefer not to receive news from us in the future, you can unsubscribe here.

Documents

Personhood: Legal Tactics