• Apply
  • Archives
  • NewsWatch
  • Classifieds
  • Multimedia
    • Ole Miss in Puerto Rico
    • Campus Protests
    • The Queen of Marks
    • Meet Aubrey Armstrong, a Real Champion and Local Celebrity
    • Mississippi voters passed Initiative 65. What’s next?
    • One year later: COVID-19 at Ole Miss
    • “It’s Just Not Fair”: One Woman’s Fight For Access to Community Water
    • A way with words
Thursday, August 11, 2022
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
  • News
    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

  • Sports
    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Ole Miss Baseball returns home to crowd of fans

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Ole Miss is dominated again in game two

    Rebels victorious over Hogs, move on to bracket finals

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

  • Arts & Culture
    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    A step into the sports industry

    A step into the sports industry

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    L.A. living

    L.A. living

  • Opinion

    Opinion: The shame of Confederate Heritage Month

    Farewell Column: I did my best and the DM did too

    Gas prices are Biden’s fault, not Putin’s

    CRT can’t be in Mississippi schools but homophobia must be?

  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact
  • News
    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

  • Sports
    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Ole Miss Baseball returns home to crowd of fans

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Ole Miss is dominated again in game two

    Rebels victorious over Hogs, move on to bracket finals

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

  • Arts & Culture
    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    A step into the sports industry

    A step into the sports industry

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    L.A. living

    L.A. living

  • Opinion

    Opinion: The shame of Confederate Heritage Month

    Farewell Column: I did my best and the DM did too

    Gas prices are Biden’s fault, not Putin’s

    CRT can’t be in Mississippi schools but homophobia must be?

  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
No Result
View All Result

Column Response: Life for all is the most important issue on the ballot

Spencer HeitmanMitchell PalmertreebySpencer HeitmanandMitchell Palmertree
October 26, 2020
3 min read

Last week, people fetching their copy of The Daily Mississippian were greeted on page 10 by the following headline: “Life is the most important issue on the ballot.” We couldn’t agree more. The lives of people at the border, the lives of people with pre-existing conditions, the lives of more than 20,000 Americans predicted to die of coronavirus by the end of November and the lives of people of color threatened by police and white supremacist vigilantes are all at stake in this election. Oddly enough, Lauren Moses’s article didn’t seem to advocate for these lives.

In the debate around abortion, the value of life — which is only considered prior to birth — is described by single-issue voters as more important than issues such as race relations, policing powers and healthcare. However, this argument reduces life to a singular idea which is divorced from these other issues, thereby failing to recognize its deep-seated relevancy within all of them.

The crux of the pro-life argument as presented by Republicans is that the Democratic Party is generally more lenient toward abortion than the Republican Party, therefore making Democratic candidates immoral and unworthy of your vote. 

Barring the realization that John Bel Edwards — the Louisiana governor who signed off on one of the most stringent abortion laws in the country — is a Democrat, the most noteworthy problem with this argument is its failure to recognize Republicans’ consistent failures to value life themselves. How are we, as voters, supposed to believe that Republicans value life when many of them refuse to say Black lives matter? Members of the GOP haven’t acknowledged their blatant disregard for life on these matters, and it’s unlikely that they will.

The idea that voting Republican will directly translate to the protection of unborn “life” by the courts is one which is often stated assertively, but ultimately, it has no grounding in reality. Even if we disregard the fact that a conservative court decided Roe v. Wade, this assertion still falls short when considering that the abortion question is the key piece of political bait used by Republicans to hold onto the votes of single-issue white Evangelicals. Without fear-mongering about Roe v. Wade, what does the Republican party have left other than decades of failed policies underscored by bigotry and senselessness? Without the neon sign of the abortion debate flashing brightly to get the attention of single-issue voters, how will the Republican Party redirect the conversation when its disregard for life is rightfully called out?

When you cast your ballot, consider life not as an abstract concept unique to the unborn, but as a value that must be continually protected after birth, especially for the most marginalized. Consider how normal people might be affected by underfunded public healthcare systems. Unlike Donald Trump, not everyone has the means to receive cutting-edge treatment at Walter Reed Hospital — made possible by research on cells derived from an aborted fetus, by the way — if they contract the coronavirus. Consider how the next president might respond to the rampant police brutality exercised onto Black and brown individuals, and unlike the current office-holder, recall that being a target of violence does not make one a “thug.” Consider the lives that the Republican Party will not. If you still believe that the Republican Party values life, we have one parting statement for you. It says gullible on the ceiling.

 

Spencer Heitman is a sophomore public policy leadership, English and philosophy major from Baton Rouge, La. Mitchell Palmertree is a senior public policy leadership and economics major from Winona.

In Case You Missed It

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

13 hours ago
A step into the sports industry

A step into the sports industry

13 hours ago
State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

13 hours ago
Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

2 weeks ago
Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

3 weeks ago
“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

3 weeks ago

Column Response: Life for all is the most important issue on the ballot

Spencer HeitmanMitchell PalmertreebySpencer HeitmanandMitchell Palmertree
October 26, 2020
3 min read

Last week, people fetching their copy of The Daily Mississippian were greeted on page 10 by the following headline: “Life is the most important issue on the ballot.” We couldn’t agree more. The lives of people at the border, the lives of people with pre-existing conditions, the lives of more than 20,000 Americans predicted to die of coronavirus by the end of November and the lives of people of color threatened by police and white supremacist vigilantes are all at stake in this election. Oddly enough, Lauren Moses’s article didn’t seem to advocate for these lives.

In the debate around abortion, the value of life — which is only considered prior to birth — is described by single-issue voters as more important than issues such as race relations, policing powers and healthcare. However, this argument reduces life to a singular idea which is divorced from these other issues, thereby failing to recognize its deep-seated relevancy within all of them.

The crux of the pro-life argument as presented by Republicans is that the Democratic Party is generally more lenient toward abortion than the Republican Party, therefore making Democratic candidates immoral and unworthy of your vote. 

Barring the realization that John Bel Edwards — the Louisiana governor who signed off on one of the most stringent abortion laws in the country — is a Democrat, the most noteworthy problem with this argument is its failure to recognize Republicans’ consistent failures to value life themselves. How are we, as voters, supposed to believe that Republicans value life when many of them refuse to say Black lives matter? Members of the GOP haven’t acknowledged their blatant disregard for life on these matters, and it’s unlikely that they will.

The idea that voting Republican will directly translate to the protection of unborn “life” by the courts is one which is often stated assertively, but ultimately, it has no grounding in reality. Even if we disregard the fact that a conservative court decided Roe v. Wade, this assertion still falls short when considering that the abortion question is the key piece of political bait used by Republicans to hold onto the votes of single-issue white Evangelicals. Without fear-mongering about Roe v. Wade, what does the Republican party have left other than decades of failed policies underscored by bigotry and senselessness? Without the neon sign of the abortion debate flashing brightly to get the attention of single-issue voters, how will the Republican Party redirect the conversation when its disregard for life is rightfully called out?

When you cast your ballot, consider life not as an abstract concept unique to the unborn, but as a value that must be continually protected after birth, especially for the most marginalized. Consider how normal people might be affected by underfunded public healthcare systems. Unlike Donald Trump, not everyone has the means to receive cutting-edge treatment at Walter Reed Hospital — made possible by research on cells derived from an aborted fetus, by the way — if they contract the coronavirus. Consider how the next president might respond to the rampant police brutality exercised onto Black and brown individuals, and unlike the current office-holder, recall that being a target of violence does not make one a “thug.” Consider the lives that the Republican Party will not. If you still believe that the Republican Party values life, we have one parting statement for you. It says gullible on the ceiling.

 

Spencer Heitman is a sophomore public policy leadership, English and philosophy major from Baton Rouge, La. Mitchell Palmertree is a senior public policy leadership and economics major from Winona.

In Case You Missed It

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

13 hours ago
A step into the sports industry

A step into the sports industry

13 hours ago
State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

13 hours ago
Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

2 weeks ago
Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

3 weeks ago
“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

3 weeks ago

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Mississippi Press Association

Sign up for The Morning Briefing, our newsletter with the top news of the day.

SUBSCRIBE

  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In