Christian nationalists are transforming the United States and it is alarming

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“Baby Eisen, dead fetus/minor.” That’s how the cryogenic embryos of Felicia and Scott Eisen, the plaintiffs in the case, are changing cards for in vitro fertilization in Alabama. At the center of this legal battle are several cryogenically stored embryos that were destroyed following the clinic’s negligence.

The unprecedented event provoked a number of reactions, including at the highest levels of the federal government. White House spokeswoman Caryn Jean-Pierre recalled that it is “The Supreme Court in Roe Vs. It paved the way for politicians to dictate some of the most personal decisions families can make..

The Court’s decision presented in “Yellowhammer State” is surprising in more ways than one: the juxtaposition of constitutional reform with “pro-life” laws and Christian morality, illustrated by strong theocratic expressions that recall both delicate divisions. Church and state and candidate Donald Trump’s willingness to take a turn that is both authoritarian and faithful to the principles of Christian nationalism.

Act of 1872

In making their ruling, the judges relied on a text from 1872: the “Wrongful Death of Minor Act”, which allows parents to seek civil compensation. A child dies as a result of negligence.

In 2011, the court considered that a “unborn child” can be considered as “little child”, regardless of its viability. It was now a question for the Alabama courts to know whether the term was “little child” May also cover cryogenically stored embryos: Seven to two, the justices answered affirmatively, justifying their interpretation by a recent constitutional amendment passed in their state, which provides protection. “The Sacred Nature of the Life of the Unborn”.

“In this case, the text of the law on wrongful death of a minor is too broad and inappropriate, So concluded Justice Jay Mitchell, author of the majority opinion. It applies to all born and unborn children without limitation. It is not the role of this Court to create new limits based on our own view of what is or is not public policy.»

“This is especially true when, as is the case here, the people of this state have passed a constitutional amendment intended directly to prevent courts from excluding “unborn life” from statutory protection.”, continues the Magistrate. It is on the basis of this constitutional amendment that a dissenting opinion authored by the “Chief Justice” of the Supreme Court of Alabama chose to front the rhetoric with the theocratic opinion.

Human life is seen as a gift from God

Known for his fiercely conservative position, opposition to abortion as well as the right to same-sex marriage, Republican Tom Parker, president of the Alabama Supreme Court since 2019, stands here with an opinion that is beautiful for religion: the word “God” appears in it forty-one times.

If he begins by recalling that his state’s constitution is not alien to religious matters (he notes that its preamble insists “Grace and Guidance of Almighty God”), the rest of his exposition borders on theocracy: “The Alabama Constitution’s recognition that human life is a gift of God emphasizes a fundamental principle of English common law, which is expressly incorporated into the Alabama law.”

Taking the opposite view of jurist William Blackstone, who believed that life begins when a fetus can turn into its mother’s womb, Judge Parker asserts that Alabama law provides that life begins. “during pregnancy”.