Pro-Life Testimony
Today, a legislative committee in my home state conducted a public hearing on a proposal to add the right to abortion as a provision of the state constitution. Following is the testimony I submitted to that hearing.
Committee on Government Administration and Elections
Connecticut General Assembly
State Capitol
Hartford CT
Re: Opposition to SJR 42, “Resolution Proposing A State Constitutional Amendment Concerning a Right to Privacy"
Honorable Committee Members:
I oppose SJR 42 and urge you to reject this measure.
The resolution is inaccurately, if not deceptively, titled. It is not about “privacy.” It is about abortion, which is the intentional killing of human life in utero.
Despite the fact that, decades ago, this legislature statutorily authorized abortion, it now seeks to make the practice a rudimentary part of our state constitution, thus challenging constitutional rights of religion and conscience as well as negating any existing or future legislation that benefits the unborn.
The measure will, without limits, warrant the destruction of innocent and defenseless humans and place that edict among the principles of the seminal document of the “Constitution State.” It will ratify and openly declare that Connecticut does not recognize or welcome human beings in the womb. It will declare definitively that a class of persons has no rights in this state.
This proposal is unjust and abhorrent.
How is it that a state that seeks to uphold and advance the rights of racial minorities, refugees, undocumented persons, homeless persons, mentally and physically disabled persons, low-income persons, vulnerable persons, and other disenfranchised persons, is proposing to reject the rights of unborn persons as a fundamental principle by which it is governed?
I am the father of nine adult children and the grandfather, so far, of six. I know the reality of unborn life. Science defines it, but little scientific knowledge is required to appreciate the reality of life in the womb. What’s required is intellectual honesty, and a heart.
To be sure, there are circumstances that lead women to consider abortion. Chief among them is financial: being without present means, or the expectation of future means, to provide for the needs of children. It’s stunning that in one of the wealthiest states, among the most affluent of nations, women feel financially incapable of raising offspring.
In January 2023, the Knights of Columbus, an international fraternal and charitable organization chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly 141 years ago, released the results of a Marist Poll it commissioned. Among its findings, 90 percent of respondents – including 88 percent of self-described pro-choice respondents – indicated “It is possible to have laws which protect both the health and well-being of a woman and the life of the unborn.”
Clearly, this legislature is called to refocus its priorities. Clearly, this legislature is called to do more to support women in need; not to advance the killing of their unborn children.
Respectfully,
Peter Sonski