Ron Fischer: Supporting Measure 1 Was Fighting The Good Fight
While I was saddened by the defeat of Measure 1 on November 4th, I was not surprised. The same result occurred two years ago when a religious liberty amendment to the North Dakota Constitution was defeated by the exact same percentage as Measure 1. In both cases out-of-state abortion money funded an aggressive campaign to defeat those measures with, in my opinion, false and misleading arguments.
Frankly, from my perspective the world is upside down. The values and morals of our modern culture no longer reflect those we were taught as children. However, we will not give up the battle. We will continue fighting for an end to abortion because human life begins at conception and should be protected. We will vigorously oppose efforts to enact assisted suicide laws because life is worthy of protection until natural death. We will fight to protect the right to exercise our religious beliefs because those rights are enshrined and protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, and because our great country was founded on Judeo-Christian principals.
We believe the words of Thomas Jefferson when he said “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
Why will we continue to strive for what we believe despite repeated setbacks? Mother Teresa of Calcutta put it best in her poem Do it Anyway:
“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
As the Apostle Paul said (2 Timothy 4:7), we must fight the good fight, run the good race, and keep the faith. While our efforts may not be crowned with success in this world, we pray they will be crowned with glory in the next.
