The Declaration of Independence Makes it Clear: We Have a Right to Life

July 4^th is observed as our nation’s birthday precisely because that was the day in 1776 that Congress voted to approve the wording in the Declaration of Independence, after having adopted two days earlier the declaration “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States…”

And what a celebration it has been – and will continue to be – throughout 2026 of the 250^th anniversary of that great event!

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Many organizations, including a number of prolife groups (my own included), have been involved for over a year in the planning of many educational and pastoral events that have taken place, at the encouragement of the Department of Education, to help students and all American citizens better understand the founding principles of America, so that they can better love America.

My own focus in this effort has been to point out that a key principle in the Declaration of Independence is that we have the right to life given by the choice of God, not by the choice of a parent or a government official. That right, furthermore is unalienable, meaning that it belongs to us just as firmly as our human nature does, and that therefore, nobody can remove it from us, nor can we throw it away ourselves.

Furthermore, the Declaration states that the very reason for the existence of government is to secure the right to life. It’s not, therefore, just one of many issues – it is, rather, the core mission of government.

And to top it off, the Declaration states that all of this is self-evidently true; in other words, we don’t come to this awareness as a result of a debate or a syllogism. Just to say it is to know it.

At the big official Fourth of July celebration in Washington DC this past Saturday, I was privileged to lead one of the prayers. In that prayer, I asked the crowd to join me in calling the Holy Spirit to breathe again over America, as he breathed over the chaos and darkness at the dawn of creation and brought about order, beauty, light and life.

The prayer asked that all citizens – including those who work for us in elected office – will, on this anniversary of the Declaration, recognize and protect this inalienable right for everyone who is born and for all the children in the womb.

I was not surprised when those words were greeted with enthusiastic responses from the crowd. Patriotism and prolife go together very well. The awareness that sovereignty resides in the people, and that government is supposed to keep its hands off the rights that God has given us, perfectly reinforces the message of the prolife movement that no earthly power can take away a baby’s right to live.

In the prayer I also asked for the healing of all those wounded by abortion. That healing is essential to the continued success of America.

The celebration on Saturday was historic and unforgettable. As we prayed and sang and waved flags, there were roaring fly-overs taking place all afternoon, by some of the fastest, most precise and most powerful (and loud!) aircraft in the world. The purpose of a fly-over on occasions like this, of course, is to remind us that standing next to our freedom at all times is the power to protect it. And that power made me think that certainly, as a nation, we have the power to protect the unborn.

Then I recalled that the crowd and I were standing at the same spot as the “I Have a Dream” speech was given by Dr. King in 1963. He told the crowd that day that African-Americans had been given back the check for their freedom and equality, and it had been marked “Insufficient Funds,” but that they refused to believe that, and had come that day to cash that check.

And so we do, on July 4^th and every day, for the unborn. The vaults of liberty and freedom in America have quite enough to protect these children, and we will continue to insist on it.

This semiquincentennial celebration, which rightly continues throughout 2026, is a marvelous opportunity for the prolife movement to link the patriotic energy in America now with our cause for the unborn. Let’s not miss the opportunity to do that, and to bring our fellow Americans who are active in conservative politics to an even deeper commitment to take an active part in the prolife movement!

LifeNews.com Note:  Frank Pavone is the national director for Priests for Life.