What If? (Quaker specific request)

WHAT IF ?

An amendment to the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNTIED STATES OF AMERICA passed which declared:

The  term  'person'  shall  be defined to include every human being from

the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.

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Quakers are an odd lot. So, I expect I will get some very different opinions on what the practical results of such a constitutional amendment might be.

Whether Conservative, Orthodox, Liberal, or Evangelical, our meetings/churches and members in reality do not represent a uniform theology AND DO NOT REPRESENT A UNITED POLITICAL POSITION. Now I know that comes as a shock to many Friends, especially in some evangelical yearly meetings and churches. 

But the silence of the minority opinions in the face of a vocal peer group does not mean most or even many of the individual members accept that faction's hard line rhetoric as truth ... truth about America, truth about economic policies, truth about which is the Christian party, and especially the lie that the local Friends culture is a manner of living and believing to be proud of, to be confident is the most godly among Americans and Friends churches.

One dear woman in a former pastorate bemoaned to me that her church should have a written doctrinal statement about their political positions.  She specifically wanted one for that congregation that clearly stated that they were politically conservative, pro-life, anti-gay, Republicans.  People needed to know!

Unfortunately her pastor - me - was not.  Yes, I am conservative but not the brand she talked about.  Yes, I am for the American way, but certainly did not stand for the "American way" as they espoused.  Yes, I am pro-life, but I am not anti-choice.  I believe the locus of choice has been totally twisted by the violent debate and rhetoric of both movements and neither stands shoulder to shoulder with God and what is truly Christian. 

Nor am I anti-gay.  I am for all people even as God was for and remains for me and died for me as I was and loves me and continues to transform the me I am.  I believe the sins God speaks of in scripture are the measures against which we can determine if our righteousness comes from Him by his transforming Spirit, but not measures of our standing before God.  If they were measures of our standing grace would be valueless and we might as well all be super-Orthodox Jews ... a position strongly opposed in the New Testament.

And NO, I am not a radical right wing Republican.  You want to know my personal prejudice on the issue?  I believe that no one can be a radical right wing Republican and Christian at the same time.  But I know that my prejudice is ungodly and graceless so I am constantly laying it aside to allow God to be the judge of each individual and their soul's status before Him.

I am an independent who firmly believes both the Republicans and Democrats hold worldviews and positions that are the opposite of the truths of scripture and the opinions of God.  Neither party takes interest in the example set by Jesus - it was, after all, not the American way, and too exclusive to be acceptable to progressive people. 

So - no matter what your political stripe - whether you would support the constitutional amendment below or not - I would value you descriptions of what might be some PRACTICAL results if such an amendment was attached to our Constitution of the United States of America.

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WHAT IF ?

An amendment to the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNTIED STATES OF AMERICA passed which declared:

The  term  'person'  shall  be defined to include every human being from

the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.

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[Personally, I can think of some very unintended practical consequences arising.]

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