Are Abortion Pills Safe for Women?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns abortion. On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case known as Roe v. Wade that a woman had a legal right to get an abortion. On June 24, 2022 – 49.5 years later – the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases that centered on abortion-inducing pills such as mifepristone and misoprostol. The court’s decision will be made known sometime between now and the end of June. Meanwhile, we learn more truth about abortion.

As the Supreme Court was hearing the most recent arguments about abortion, The Daily Signal interviewed Elizabeth Gillette outside the Supreme Court Building. Gillette is a woman who considers herself as a “victim of a chemical abortion” for her 2010 experience. During the interview, Gillette said that she “was not prepared for how severe and devastating” the abortion-inducing drugs she took would be and admitted that she regrets having the abortion. Gillette described her abortion experience to Mary Margaret Olohan as follows: 

“I found myself on the bathroom floor, covered in a pool of blood, wondering if I was going to survive the procedure, completely alone,” Gillette said.

“I reached down and lifted out of my body the perfectly formed transparent sac with a recognizable baby inside,” she told Olohan….

“It was so incredibly traumatic, “Gillette said of her own experience with abortion-inducing drugs. “I suffered horrific side effects, not only physical … to this day, [but I also] still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“It’s something that has followed me since that day,” she added….

She was between six and seven weeks pregnant when she took unspecified chemical abortion pills, Gillette recalled.

“They said it was going to be like a double period, and that just wasn’t true,” she said. “No one told me that I would hold my child in my hands and would need to decide what to do with that body. I ultimately flushed him down the toilet, into the septic tank.”

Fourteen years later, Gillette said, she relives that moment of being “terrified, wondering if I’m going to survive, hoping and wishing that I would be able to get out of that situation.”

“Nobody was there to help me. I was completely alone,” she told Olohan.

Use of the abortion drugs she obtained was subject to restrictions at the time, she said, but she doesn’t think she received the care to which she was legally entitled.

“So imagine now, with no restriction in place, what is a woman going to experience without any of that care?” Gillette asked.

“This isn’t something that’s safe, like Tylenol,” she said. “This is something that will follow women for the rest of their lives.”

“I am here today at the U.S. Supreme Court because I want the FDA to do its job,” she said. “I want them to keep women safe.”

Gillette was not the only woman testifying against abortion drugs. Catherine Herring told The Daily Signal that her husband put an abortion-inducing drug in her drink, and she “got violently ill.” She ended up in an emergency room “with a urine sample that was black in color.” She also claimed to have suffered “severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bleeding” and still suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). She said, “Medical personnel need to be involved. For the states that continue to offer abortion pills, there need to be safety standards.”

These are the experiences and thoughts of only two women. However, their experiences show that abortion pills are not similar to double periods or safe. If nothing else is done, women should be told to enlist the help of a family member or friend while going through an abortion.

Three of my daughters miscarried (natural abortions) babies that were planned and wanted. Their experiences tell me that losing a baby affects a woman physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To go through the experience alone would just make the experience more difficult to endure.

Did Jesus Really Live Again?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to an Easter lesson titled “He Shall Rise … with Healing in His Wings.” The lesson was introduced with the following information. 

The ancient Apostles were bold in their testimonies of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection (see Acts 4:33). Millions of people believe in Jesus Christ and try to follow Him because of their words recorded in the Bible. Yet some people might wonder: If Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world, then why were His eyewitnesses limited to a handful of people in one small region?

The Book of Mormon stands as an additional, convincing witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, “manifesting himself unto all nations” (title page of the Book of Mormon) and offering salvation to all who come unto Him. In addition, this second witness also makes it clear what salvation means. This is why Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, and all the prophets labored so “diligently to engraven these words upon plates”—to declare to future generations that they too “knew of Christ, and … had a hope of his glory” (Jacob 4:3-4). This Easter season, reflect on the testimonies in the Book of Mormon that the Savior’s power is both universal and personal — redeeming the whole world and redeeming you.

This lesson used many scriptures from the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ to tell the Easter story. This week was Holy Week for millions of Christians across the world. Most Christians spend Holy Week pondering the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but they may question what resurrection actually means. The Book of Mormon offers additional insights about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. A prophet named Nephi taught the following sermon to his people (2 Nephi 9:6-15, 22):                               

6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

12 And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.

14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

15 And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.

22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

A later prophet named Alma gave further details about every mortal being resurrected (Alma 11:41-45).

41 Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

42 Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

44 Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

From the above scriptures, we learn that the resurrection came because of the fall of Adam, which came because of transgression. We know that all mortals will be resurrected. We know that through the ordinance of resurrection, our bodies and spirits will be united permanently. (From Alma’s teachings, we know that there will be no reincarnation.)

All mortals will be resurrected and will become immortal and receive eternal life – never to die again. All individuals who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will receive further blessings.

 

How Do You Teach Your Children About the Real Story of Easter?

 Families, communities, states, and nations are stronger when the rising generation knows the true story of Easter. The reason that we celebrate Easter is because it commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just as children should be taught that Baby Jesus is the star of Christmas and not Santa Claus, they should also be taught that the resurrected Christ is the star of Easter and not the Easter bunny.

The question asked by many parents: How do I teach the real Easter story? I simply asked the question of the Internet and found several sources.

In an article titled “Teaching About the TRUE Meaning of Easter for Children,” Heather Greutman began as follows and then gave several links for ideas: 

First off, I want to start by saying that I am not condemning the Easter bunny or doing Easter egg hunts or anything else related to Easter. Our daughter will be doing an Easter egg hunt this year and she also usually receives an Easter basket from family. When she gets older we may even dye Easter eggs. However, I don’t want those things to be our only or main focus around Easter. Easter is a time to celebrate a Risen Savior who loved us all so much that He came to die for our sins.

When my children were at home, I treated Easter much like I did Christmas – I separated the sacred from the secular. For Christmas, we do all things spiritual on Christmas Eve. We have our main Christmas dinner followed by a presentation of the Nativity in some form. We have a dessert made of “Angel” food cake and sink Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. We reserved Christmas Day for opening presents, playing with toys, and other such fun activities. All my children continued this tradition with their families.

For Easter, we reversed the procedure. We colored Easter eggs sometime during the week or on Saturday. The Easter bunny came Friday night, and the children searched for their Easter baskets on Saturday morning. We had Easter egg hunts on Saturday as well as any other secular activities. Sunday was reserved for the real meaning of Easter. This meant that the children could attend Sunday School without being high on sugar or bringing an Easter stuffed animal with them. Every Sabbath Day is special, and Easter is extra special in honoring Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Families can have the fun of the secular as well as learn the sacredness of Easter, but I believe that they must be done separately. Have the fun of the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts, but have them on a separate day than Sunday. Keep Easter holy by teaching the real story of Easter. By keeping Easter holy, parents can strengthen their family, and their stronger family will strengthen their community, state, and nation.

Can Mankind Be Resurrected?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns freedom from the grave. Christians living all over the world call this week Holy Ghost – commemorating the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. According to Mary Elise Cosgray at The Daily Signal, the results of a recent poll show that the majority of Americans believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected and overcame death and the grave. 

Nearly 70% of registered voters believe that Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead, and more than 70% plan to celebrate Easter this year….

A Scott Rasmussen National Survey poll, conducted March 20 and 21 among 1,000 registered voters, found that 73% of respondents will celebrate Easter this year. When asked whether they would celebrate the holiday primarily as a religious holiday or as a secular holiday, 56% of participants responded with religious, 16% said secular, and 27% said both secular and religious equally.

The poll reflected voters’ belief that Jesus physically rose from the dead, by a margin of 68% to 13%.

Participants were asked to select which religion or faith best described what they practice. The survey found that Bible-believing Christian, Protestant, and Catholic each drew 21% of those polled. Evangelical Christian was chosen by 12%. Jewish identity made up 2% of the poll participants, with 1% Muslim and 6% atheist. The option “none of the above” was selected by 16%.

Some 49% said they were “very likely” to go to church on Easter Sunday, and 23% were somewhat likely, while 10% said they were not very likely, and 16% said they were not likely at all to do so.

Respondents were also asked how often they attend church, synagogue, or other religious services. Some 49% of participants said they rarely or never attend a religious service, while 23% said they go once a week, 12% said they go a couple of times a month, and 6% said once a month. About 9% of voters said they attend some form of religious services more than once a week.

Those polled were also asked about their prayer habits; specifically, how often they pray in a week. Some 45% of participants answered every day or nearly every day, and 21% said they pray several times a week, while 18% said they rarely or never do, 7% said about once a week, and 6% said less than once a week.

In addition to the above information, the poll also asked the importance of Easter among America’s holidays: Most important holiday 33% of voters, least important holiday 15% of voters, and somewhere in the middle 48% of voters.

The poll also asked if “the man known to history as Jesus Christ actually existed and walked the earth.” “By a margin of 83% to 5%, voters said they believe that Jesus Christ did in fact exist and walked the earth.” Rasmussen noted that the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Although not part of the poll, I am part of the 83% of voters who believe that Jesus Christ actually walked the earth. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He was resurrected on the third day. I believe that He made it possible for all mortals to be resurrected and to become immortal. I believe that He will return to earth sometime in the near future. I pray formally several times each day and many times each day informally. I will definitely attend Sunday meetings on Easter and will commemorate the day as a religious day.

What Does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Mean to the World?

 Christians around the world are observing Holy Week, the week leading to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Tyler O’Neil discussed the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to both believers and non-believers. Christians believe that the man known as Jesus who walked the earth as a mortal man is the Son of God. The history of the secular world turns on the life and death of Jesus Christ. O’Neil wrote that this pivotal event “inspired so much progress that we take for granted today.” 

Christianity turned the values of the Pagan Roman world upside-down. The Romans considered the early Christians subversives – many called them “atheists” because they didn’t worship any pagan gods – and put them to death for refusing to worship the emperor. After some emperors adopted the faith, Emperor Julian attempt to revive paganism, but lamented that the Christian ethic had transformed the empire.

“It is their benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead, and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done most to increase atheism,” Julian wrote to a pagan priest of Galatia in 362 A.D. Those who believed in the Resurrection established the first hospitals, and Christianity spread rapidly during Roman plagues, as pagans fled the cities, but Christians stayed and tended to the sick, risking death but saving souls.

Rodney Stark, a now-deceased social sciences professor at Baylor University and author of the book “The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success,” told PJ Media in 2017 that without the Resurrection, “we would still be in a world of mystery and probably in a world of repressive empires.”

“Remember, at the dawn of history, people didn’t live in really tiny countries. They lived under huge, huge empires, nasty ones,” the professor added. He argued that Christianity historically has been the driving force behind limited government, science, capitalism, the abolition of slavery, medicine, organized charities, and more – and that Christianity would have been impossible without the belief in the Resurrection.

According to the four Gospel narratives, Jesus’ followers were quick to abandon their rabbi after his excruciating and humiliating death at Golgotha. Something convinced the same Peter who denied Jesus three times to later go to his own painful death saying that Jesus is the Messiah. In 1 Corinthians 15:17, the Apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.”

After the above introduction to his article, O’Neil shared several ways in which the gospel of Jesus Christ changed the world.

1. Universities and Science

While many consider faith and science to be inherently incompatible, Stark noted that Christianity provides the worldview that makes science comprehensible.

“In the rest of the world, it’s thought that the universe is far too mystical to be worth thinking about,” much less experimenting on, Stark explained. But “in the West, the universe was created by a rational God, and consequently it runs by rules and, therefore, it makes sense to try to understand and discover the rules.”

Christians believe that a rational God created an ordered cosmos and created human beings in his image, enabling them to think his thoughts after him….

2. Free Markets

It is hard to overstate just how wealthy modern Americans are in comparison to most human being throughout history. Inflation is rising and it is increasingly difficult to afford a home, but Americans still enjoy the conveniences of indoor plumbing, heating and cooling, rapid transportation, refrigerators and microwave ovens, and endless options for learning and entertainment via the internet and electronic devices.

The term capitalism may be controversial, but the free-market complexity that unleashed this jaw-dropping prosperity and innovation deserves respect and protection. While the German sociologist Max Weber famously traced capitalism back to the “Protestant work ethic,” Stark found an earlier source – the Catholic monasteries in the Middle Ages.

Catholic monasteries set up a complex network of lending at interest, and they also changed the narrative on commerce….

The growth of complex markets took centuries, and some of it did tie in to darker chapters of world history.

3. The Abolition of Slavery

In one form or another, slavery appears in almost every human society, and if slaves ever succeed in overthrowing their masters, they often turn their former masters into slaves.

“It was only in the West that a society has ever overcome slavery, except when it’s forced by outside forces,” Stark said. Christianity inspired the “only civilization that has ever discovered within itself that slavery is immoral and gotten rid of it.” …

4. Limited Government

Most Americans today have no concept of how united religion and government have been in world history. In ancient Egypt, Pharaohs claimed to be gods on Earth, and in ancient Mesopotamia, kings built large temples to their gods in part to maintain their legitimacy. The three-generation Kim family in control of North Korea perpetuates the idea that the supreme ruler is God.

Christians wrested ultimate power away from political rulers, teaching that God held the ultimate authority. St. Augustine divided the world into the “City of Man” and the “City of God,” emphasizing the independence of the life of faith and service from the concerns of power and everyday life.

Civil societies grew and flourished because Christians believed both in helping the poor and in working together outside of government institutions….

While Jesus famously told his disciples to pay taxes to the government, he also drew an enormously important distinction. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17) didn’t just mean “pay your taxes.” It also meant that Christians – who are made in God’s image as coins were made in Caesar’s image – owe their ultimate loyalty to God, not to the state.

The early settlers to America and the Founders employed these principles in government. The Declaration of Independence grounds Americans’ right to revolt from Britain in “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” The First Amendment forbids Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion or bridging the free exercise thereof,” not because religion is unimportant, but because religion is far more important than the government.

This separation marks Christian civilization apart from the despotisms of the ancient world and from the communist and fascist totalitarianisms of the 20^th century. Civil societies exist in other parts of the world as well, but Christianity provides a unique justification for subordinating state powers to other concerns.

O’Neil uses the above information to argue that “the benefits of Christian civilization extend far beyond those who believe in Jesus’ Resurrection, and these benefits do not erase the many sins and deceptions perpetrated in the name of Christianity over the centuries.” O’Neil stated is belief that the benefits of Christianity “illustrate the side-effects of faith in Jesus….”

If the Holy Spirit is working in Christian churches, the blessings of this faith will spill over to those who do not accept the Gospel.

These blessings are exactly what we should look for, supposing the Resurrection is true.

I testify that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth to live as man. He was crucified, and His body was lain in a tomb. On the third day, Jesus Christ was resurrected with a glorified body of flesh and bone, never to be separated from His spirit again. He is the Savior of the world, and Easter is the season that Christians all over the world honor Him for His great sacrifice and achievement for our benefit. It is only through Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice that we can become clean and worthy of entering into the presence of God.

Will the New Chemical Abortion Pill Be Dangerous for Women?

Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two combined cases regarding the regulation of abortion drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the first case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration, the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was unlawful for the FDA to decide “in 2016 and 2021 to drop the safety rules for obtaining and using mifepristone.”

According to an article by Thomas Jipping and Sarah Parshall Perry, Danco Labs is the maker of a generic version of the drug, and the Supreme Court combined the appeals from the FDA and Danco Laws. The high court will announce its decision before ending its term in June. The article continued. 

The FDS approved mifepristone, under the brand name Mifeprex, in 2000 under strict safety restrictions. It could be prescribed only by physicians with the requisite training to handle potential complications, and women had to obtain it in person. Doctors were also required to report all medical complications from its use. These were unusual restrictions, but they reflected the FDA’s concern about the risks of using this drug.

Medical associations first challenged the FDA’s decision by way of a “citizen petition,” bringing their concerns to the FDA itself and arguing that the evidence did not justify concluding that mifepristone was safe and effective.

Not only did the FDA refuse to reconsider its original approval, but in 2016 and 2021 it actually dropped two sets of original safety restrictions. As a result, doctors no longer have to report any nonfatal complications arising from use of mifepristone, women can use the drug during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy (an increase from the previous seven-week limit), and women never have to see a doctor for an ultrasound or examination before obtaining the drug.

Four medical associations and four individual doctors filed a lawsuit in federal court in November 2020. They challenged both the original approval of mifepristone and both decisions to drop its safety restrictions.

A U.S. District Court in Texas agreed with them that the FDA did not have a sufficient basis for either approving mifepristone or for dropping its safety rules.

On appeal, the 5^th Circuit said that the lawsuit was filed too late to challenge the original approval of mifepristone, but that the decisions to drop the safety rules were unlawful. The original plaintiffs, the FDA, and Danco Labs each appealed the part of the 5^th Circuit’s decision that they lost.

The Supreme Court agreed to consider only whether the FDA had made its 2016 and 2021 decisions to drop mifepristone’s safety restrictions properly, and in accordance with federal law.

There are questions about whether women are in more danger with the decisions of the FDA. Will doctors in emergency rooms be faced with cleaning up the mess when the pills do not cause complete abortions? Will emergency doctors who oppose abortions be forced to complete a botched chemical abortion? Will the chemical abortion pill cause more health problems or even death for women? The authors voiced my thoughts about the case before the justices.

Now, the Supreme Court must weigh the evidence, and decide whether every federal agency is bound to follow the law, or whether the FDA gets a pass simply because it thinks its choices were justified.

           For the sake – and safety – of American women and girls, let’s hope they decide correctly. 

Who Is Donald J. Trump?

Former President and current presidential candidate Donald J. Trump is one of the most famous people in the world. He is also among the richest 500 people in the world. He is also the most persecuted person in American history. Democrats and the Left Wing are doing their best to stop Trump from becoming the next President of the United States. However, Trump is “Teflon Trump” because Democrats look a whole lot like Wiley Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner.

The case in point is the case is the case brought against Trump in New York by New York state Attorney General Leticia James. She charged Trump in a civil fraud case and place a huge bond on him -- $454 million – to appeal the judgment issued by Judge Arthur Engoron. Today an appeals court reduced the bond amount to $175 million and gave him 10 days to arrange funding.

Katelynn Richardson published a report on today’s ruling in The Daily Signal that included the following. 

Trump’s lawyers indicated in a court filing last week that he would not be able to post that bond [$454 million], writing that “very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude.” His attorneys sought to stay the execution of the judgment. In response, New Yor state Attorney General Letitia James argued Trump had not supplied evidence that he would be unable to pay.

“If defendants were truly unable to provide an undertaking, they at a minimum should have consented to have their real estate interests held by Supreme Court to satisfy the judgement,” the filing stated.

James campaigned on the promise to “get Trump” wants to destroy Trump. Her plan was to take some of his property. However, the Appeals Court weakened her evil attempt. It is important to remember that there are no victims in the case brought against Trump. The banks that Trump dealt with said that they would collaborate with him again because Trump repaid his debts early and fully. There was no fraud! James deserves to be exposed as using the law for a political purpose.

What Will Be the Result of Biden’s Surge of Illegal Immigration?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday is how the surge of illegal aliens into the United States could change American Leftists. As a presidential candidate in 2019, Joe Biden invited the migrants massing at America’s southern border to “surge” into the United States. “We immediately surge to the border all those seeking asylum.” Did you notice that he said nothing about immigrating legally?

Most Americans understand that our nation needs legal immigrants to keep America growing and becoming even better. In fact, legal immigration could be America’s greatest strength. However, there are “a few key prerequisites” about immigration, according to Victor Davis Hanson. 

Immigration must be legal and measured.

Why? Because only the host nation can adjudicate how many immigrants it can successfully accept and assimilate. It has no desire to encourage Balkanized tribalism so common in nations abroad torn apart by ethnic conflict.

America must have some knowledge of the background of immigrants, especially whether they have criminal records, belong to gangs, are importing drugs, carry infectious diseases, or can be self-supporting.

By contrast, if the first thing immigrants do is illegally cross the American border, and the second is to reside illegally in America, and the third is to obtain fraudulent identification to mask that illegality, then they will establish long patterns of illegal behavior and disrespect for their hosts.

In addition, immigration should be diverse so that large ethnic groups do not form permanent tribal sects in the fashion of the Balkans, the Middle East, or Latin America.

Ideally, the host should prefer immigrants who have some knowledge of the language and customs of the United States. And they should have some ability to be self-supporting, so as not to burden American taxpayers or overtax and deprive social services from poorer U.S. citizens.

As for the host?

America must be confident enough in and knowledgeable enough about its values, customs, and traditions to demand immigrants integrate rapidly into the body politic of the United States.

Both the host and immigrants must agree on the basic facts of immigration.

Immigrants, not the host, have chosen to leave their native land to risk a new life and identity in America.

Therefore, the relationship is, by nature, asymmetrical. The host has a perfect right, indeed a responsibility, to impose its own values upon newcomers – not vice versa.

Otherwise, if immigrants do not absorb their newly adopted culture, why would they have left and, in some sense, rejected their homeland in the first place?

To replicate in the United States the very conditions and environment that they so eagerly fled from back home?

So the host must remind immigrants that they chose a completely different paradigm from their native country. And therefore, they must be helped to embrace an entirely new national identity.

After the above discussion, Hanson then reminded his readers that – over the past four years – “the Biden administration has violated every historical canon critical to ensuring legal immigration enriches the United States.” In fact, the Biden administration “has encouraged 8 to 10 million of the world’s poorest to flood the border and to enter and reside in America without legal sanction. Most have no prior experience with American traditions, and few speak English.”

Hanson then pointed out that Americans do not know the type of person who has entered into the United States illegally. How many of them were criminals in their native countries? What was their record of employment? Are they healthy, or carrying contagious diseases? Are they members of gangs? Are they importing lethal drugs to kill Americans? Are they human traffickers?

Even worse, according to Hanson, is that America is no longer “the melting pot that once made America the world’s only successful multiracial democracy, united by the laws of the Constitution and the unique values that emanate from it. I see this difference as being like the difference between a sauce and a stew.

Rather than melting together to make a sauce known as “the American,” immigrants are now retaining the beliefs, cultures, and practices from their native countries. This makes America more like a stew with each individual ingredient maintaining its own taste and texture while giving flavor to the rest of the stew. Stew instead of sauce destroys “the American” with its unity and unique values that made America successful. Hanson continued his explanation in this way.

The combination of mass illegal immigration, without audit, into a country beset with $35 trillion in national debt, an existing 50 million residents not born in the United States, and without confidence in rapid assimilation certainly explains the disaster of illegal immigration that now manifests daily.

Hanson explained that Biden and his supporters may think that importing so many illegal immigrants will help to turn red states to blue or give more congressional districts to blue states. They may be counting on mail in voting to allow foreign nationals to vote in our elections. However, they may be fooling themselves.

But in truth, Biden is unfortunately undermining support for all immigration, legal or otherwise….

Ironically, Biden is also alienating from the Democrat Party its once loyal black and Latino voters. They, not the party elite, must deal concretely with the consequences of Biden’s callous and cynical, ideologically driven policies.

Perhaps the Left will cease destroying immigration law only when it realizes that for each illegal alien it invites in, it will lose one or more once-loyal Democratic voters.