Thinkers Incorporated

On December 14th, 2012, Adam Lanza brutally murdered 20 children and six staff at an elementary school in Connecticut. This was the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history, falling above Columbine and below Virginia Tech. However, it will probably go down as the most infamous, due to the ages of the child victims, all of whom were between 6 and 7.

This act was justly met with horror and grief, as the nation reeled from the news. President Obama gave a tearful briefing on the event later that night, saying,

“…our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors, as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early and there are no words that will ease their pain.”

There is no explanation needed to justify the reaction of the public. Humans naturally value other human life. We go to funerals to honor and celebrate the deceased’s life. A friend recently told me that on the Golden Gate bridge, there are phones with hotlines directly to suicide counselors. Military doctors are trained to treat every wounded person they come across, even enemy soldiers.

However, I was puzzled at all of the hubris over an event like this when the media never covers abortions. The message I got while watching the news was that if these same children had been killed in 2005 or 2006, their deaths would have been a legally protected right. Apparently, it is only shocking and criminal to end an innocent’s life under certain conditions. If the parent agrees, and no one has yet physically seen it, then it is totally permissible to murder it.

The public ignored this blatant hypocrisy when the gun-control debate started again. Pro-gun-controllers wanted more restrictive legislation to preserve the safety of the nation’s children, saying less guns will equal less crime. Anti-gun-controllers said exactly the opposite, but with precisely the same end, the safety of the children. It reminded me of a certain parable about a log and a speck.

Plainly speaking, culture seems to uphold an insidious double standard when it comes to an individuals right to live. We will do everything we can to protect those who can speak for themselves, but those who have no representation are swept under the rug with a wink and a nod. It is sad and disgusting.

The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary was horrific and a reminder of just how evil humans can be. But lest we forget, there is a far more catastrophic and disturbing reality that is all to often ignored.