Social Justice Network Lacks Justice

Stand Firm by Jackie 

 

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Yale’s Dwight Hall Cabinet voted this last week to deny the group Choose Life at Yale (CLAY) admission to its hallowed halls and the benefits which inure to the members.  One of those members, Andre Manuel,urged a no vote but not without graciously conceding the right of the organization to exist.  After all, he feels CLAY’s purpose is antithetical to membership in the Social Justice Network.

To allow CLAY into the Social Justice Network would signal that we consider its work social justice, and would compel Dwight Hall to divert funds away from groups that do important work pursuing actual social justice and helping communities in New Haven and around the world. Social justice means fighting injustice and discrimination, and working to provide everyone with the chance to live a full and enriching life. It is about the equal provision of political, economic and social rights, and it means opening doors and breaking down barriers so that opportunity exists for all people, not just a lucky few. A necessary component of any coherent definition of social justice is bodily autonomy and the ability of all people to make decisions about their futures safely and free of stigma — this means the protection of reproductive rights.
The pro-life, anti-choice agenda stands in the way of gender equity, and thus in the way of social justice. Through legislation, deception and stigma, it seeks to limit reproductive freedom and the ability of women to control their own futures. I believe that these goals are antithetical to the concept of social justice and if fulfilled, would undermine the push for a free, just and equal society.
To see the effects of today’s pro-life ideology, one need only look to the multitude of state governments that are using all means possible to shut down clinics and place burdensome and intrusive regulations on abortion. Around the nation, protesters outside abortion clinics stigmatize a decision that should be left up to a women, her doctor, family members and loved ones. So-called “crisis pregnancy centers” mislead and deceive women, under the guise of impartiality, about the consequences of abortion. In my mind, those advocating to legally and socially limit reproductive choice are working against the goals of social justice

Mr. Manuel’s rather pricey education seems to be top notch in the letter writing category.  He makes the Social Justice Network sound pretty special.  Here’s another opinion from the Yale Free Press:

The umbrella organization of umbrella organizations, the Social Justice Network purports to fund student opinion groups of all leanings. In reality, the SJN supports just about every bleeding-heart cause on campus.

To be fair, Mr. Manuel is probably a really nice guy.  Someone you would be happy to share the day’s events over a glass of wine or even sit next to at a football game.  Unfortunately, he suffers from the same delusion of many young people who have been brain-washed by the uber liberalism of academia.  Of course, I could be giving him too much credit.  He may be one of the multitudes of young men who simply seek a safe, affordable way to avoid responsibility for their actions should their current hook up forget to take preventative measures.  Who knows?  But in any event, let’s address a few issues shall we?
important work pursuing actual social justice  - Actual social justice.  That’s rich.  Where else is there more need of protection than for the innocent and helpless?  There is something wrong in the world when the Supreme Court determines that a 4 inch fish has the right to survival but not so much a helpless human baby.

working to provide everyone with the chance to live a full and enriching life - The sad part about this?  Mr. Manuel probably doesn’t even see the irony in his statement.  He thinks that by denying an organization that fights for the right of a child to live a full and enriching life, he is taking the high road?  Seriously?  It makes me revisit the idea that it is all to make sure any “mistakes” can be handled quickly, efficiently and inexpensively.

place burdensome and intrusive regulations on abortion - You mean those burdensome and intrusive regulations that kept the Gosnell abortion mill going?

One is tempted to dismiss such meanderings as juvenile pratter but we do so at the peril of millions of innocent children.  Even if we recognize that Mr. Manuel is currently ensconced in a high pressure incubator more intent on conforming his thought process rather than forming his mind to education, we cannot allow such words to go unchallenged.  We can hope and pray that God puts someone in Mr. Manuel’s path who can open his eyes to the social injustice of denying a child a lifetime because two people refused to deny themselves the pleasure of a moment.