The Founding Fathers based the Constitution on the understanding that human affairs are governed by the moral law of the universe or what they termed "The Law of Nature and of Nature's God." That's why the Declaration of Independence reads, "All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ... " Human dignity and freedom are precious gifts from God, rather than from government or its leaders. The Creator is also the ultimate definer of right and wrong. But after the Casey decision, this understanding of the moral absolutes was supplanted by "the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning of the universe and the mystery of human life."

It brings to mind the words of King Solomon, who wrote, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12, NIV.)

Columnist John Leo said of the Casey ruling, "This 'mystery passage' [as it has become known] can be cited easily next time to justify suicide clinics, gay marriage, polygamy, inter-species marriage [such as marrying one's dog or cat] or whatever new individual right the court feels like inventing. We are moving firmly into the court's post-constitutional phase." John Leo, "In the Matter of the Court vs. Us," U.S. News and World Report, October 7, 1996, p. 28.

Chuck Colson agreed, saying the mystery passage could mean absolutely anything to a future court - including the right to marry your toaster if you wish. Chuck Colson, "Pandora's Box," BreakPoint, March 11, 1996.

The bottom line of the Casey decision is how we define reality. The new definition flows from a "postmodern" philosophy that acknowledges nothing right nor wrong, nothing moral nor immoral. Truth does not exist and there are no absolutes that transcend time. Everything is relative and subject to individual interpretation. For the U.S. Supreme Court to descend into this abyss of moral relativism is disastrous. The Constitution has been the shield, the defender, of basic liberties for 210 years based on "The Law of Nature and of Nature's God." Now, according to Justice Kennedy and five of his colleagues, its meaning has become nothing more predictable than the shifting sand of individual opinion.

Source: Family News From Dr. James Dobson, October 1997, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO. 80995.