Imagine some future archaeologist finding in the remains of a lost civilization the following remnants of an email from a remarkably well-preserved hard drive:
What: 36th Roe v. Wade Anniversary Gala
When: January 27, 2009, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Where: Capitol Center for the Arts, Concord, New Hampshire
Come join us in celebrating the ground-breaking Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade with honoring pro-choice elected officials, women’s studies professors and students, and community members all dedicated to renewing their commitment to CHOICE!
Of course, being the knowledgeable expert, the discoverer is aware that, for this long-collapsed society, "choice" meant killing babies. "What barbarians," the archaelogist thinks to himself. "And to ‘celebrate’ such acts at a ‘gala’ hosted in one of the finest buildings of the former capitol city!"
Why? Why would people, beyond the mere fact that they were murdering babies in the womb, go out of their way to have an event CELEBRATING that fact in one of the most elegant and expensive venues around? In the normal course of events, as the archaeologist knows, murder is just plain wrong. How could a society calling itself "civilized" allow such a thing? A society that looked further back than itself and called this wrong:
Then turned around and CELEBRATED this:
Is it any wonder that such a misguided society ultimately fell?
