Whatever Happened To Separation Of Church And State?

Though there be no atheists in fox holes, maybe they should be in Congress.

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Am I the only one getting strong whiffs of Theocracy when I look at the news? With all the rallying around God and Country, you could almost forget that one of the things Americans used to cherish — at least facially — was the separation of church and state. But lo, here we are, awash with the glory of God.

In the wake of the Alito leak, Louisiana’s legislature is working on pushing through a bill called the “Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act of 2022” that will make abortion constitute a homicide. Usually, pro-lifers keep their rosaries tucked, cloaking their divine righteousness in secular language like “viability” and focusing on the heartbeats of zygotes. But now, they’re just short of dropping scripture on the House floor. From the bill:

Section 2.

Acknowledging the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, which should be equally protected from fertilization to natural death, the legislature hereby declares that the purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Fully recognize the human personhood of an unborn child at all stages of development prior to birth from the moment of fertilization.
(2) Ensure the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization by protecting them by the same laws protecting other human beings.
(3) Recognize that the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States are the supreme law of the land.

Oh, and on top of that, they specifically rule out exceptions in cases where the nature of the pregnancy threatens the life of the carrier.

This is terrifying on its own and is magnified when you realize that there are about 100,000 ectopic pregnancies a year in the United States. The implications of Roe‘s prospective overturn are as new to us as they are to you, but just think about this. Texas’s SB8 gave rise to several states copy-catting and implementing similar laws; what prevents other states from implementing their version of what Louisiana is planning? And in the spirit of honesty, this is only a thing because the God being referenced here is being read as Christian.

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I think we are at the point where we ought acknowledge that the threat of Integralism, Catholic or otherwise, is upon us. Because if you or anyone else has wondered where God was in the midst of your troubles, there’s a clear answer — He’s legislating.


Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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