So Help Me God

Roe V. Wade did more than just give a woman the "right to choose". It was the beginning of the public acceptance of the mistreatment of children. Children had long been mistreated quietly, but the public acceptance is what changed the undercurrents of the culture. Since 1973, when the case was decided, something like 50 million babies have been aborted in America. Millions of lives ended because the life of an adult has been deemed more valuable than the life of a child.

My sister in law is a federal prosecutor. She works strictly in child crimes and child exploitation. She has dedicated her career to being the voice of children who need one. A LOUD, SCREAMING, DEFIANT voice against the men and women who have treated them in detestable and deplorable ways. Previously, as an FBI agent, she worked to catch these same types of individuals, those preying on children. Now she works to get them the maximum sentences for their crimes. She has been scolded before, by a federal judge, for asking for jail time for a man who had been convicted of selling children into sexual abuse. "Do you know what jail time will do to a man?" the judge asked. She stared at him, unbelieving, as he said, "How dare you ask for that?" But she knows how he dares. She knows that he is a part of an Amerian culture that believes that an adult life is more valuable than a child's. We may not say it, but our actions show it.

Consider Caylee Anthony. A beautiful little baby girl, born to a nineteen year old, immature mother from a dysfunctional family. I remember when she was reported missing. I remember because Taryn was her age, and from the photo the family released to the media, they had the same pink Playtex sippy cup. I remember praying with Taryn that the family would find their lost little girl. We have followed the case closely in our house, maybe too closely. The remains of the little girl were found just ten minutes from our house, a few blocks away from little Caylee's home. The apartments where her mother claimed to have taken her to for the nanny to watch her are apartments that I drive past almost daily, on my way to work. This happened here. In our city. We watched almost every moment of the trial, even recording portions that we wouldn't be home to see. Wanting to see the case. See the evidence. Judge for ourselves what had happened, and see justice for Caylee. And yesterday, despite an excellent prosecution and over three hundred exhibits of evidence, the jury decided that Caylee's mother was guilty only of lying to the police. Nothing else. Why? There are a few reasons they will give when they start contacting the media, but so far they have chosen to hide behind anonymity. I am glad. I don't want to see the faces of the people who let down Caylee Anthony. It is more fitting that they are just anonymous Americans, representing the multitude for whom the life of a child is less valuable than the life of an adult. And whatever reasons they give, they will not say that it was because Caylee's life was less valuable than Casey's. They would never say that. They may not even know that they believe it. But that is our culture, and that contributed to their decision on the side of injustice.

So, today I am hugging my kids a lot. I am telling them that they are precious, and loved, and special. I am playing cars with them, and giant bowling on the patio, and letting them give me "shots" from their doctor kit. I am teaching them what God has said about their value. And I am telling people in my world what I believe, which is that the smallest and most vulnerable lives are the ones that we have the greatest duty to protect. Jose Baez said if anything comes out of this case it should be that the death penalty is wrong. I believe that if anything comes out of this case it should be that children are easy targets, and that it is up to us to take the bulls-eye off their forehead. That when someone takes advantage of their smallness and their innocence, that we stand up for those little lives and hold those wicked adults responsible for every act, and every failure to act, that caused that child harm. I intend to make whatever difference that I can. To this I swear or affirm. So help me God.