Social Conservative Review: An Insider's Guide to Pro-Family News February 18, 2016

Justice Antonin Scalia was a bulwark of constitutional fidelity, deep conviction, and common sense. Conservatives relished not only the soundness of his decisions but the dancing, puckish, and sometimes devastating wit with which they were written.

As FRC President Tony Perkins said upon learning of his death, we "join the nation in mourning the passing of Justice Scalia, a man who had a deep love for our nation and the Constitution and who, as the father of nine children, was passionate about the institutions of marriage and family."

Among the greatest threats to the Constitution are the ongoing efforts of the Left to diminish the Tenth Amendment's recognition that those things not specifically delegated in the Constitution to the federal government belong to the states. And, as ever, the Left’s relentless effort to diminish the sanctity of life.

These things came together recent in a case involving the State of Texas's regulations to improve the health and safety standards of abortion centers. Whole Woman's Health, which owns two abortion centers in the Lone Star State, is suing Texas over these entirely appropriate regulations. As FRC's Senior Fellow for Regulatory Studies Chris Gacek has noted, "The law enacted by the state of Texas requires abortion centers to have health and safety measures that are consistent with standards of care required at other health facilities. They are necessary, common sense measures needed to safeguard women's health and safety."

It's for this reason that earlier this month, FRC signed on to an amicus brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt asking the Court to uphold the Texas law. The brief was filed on behalf of FRC and other interested parties by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

Antonin Scalia believed that the Constitution had an objective and understandable meaning, and that it should be taken that way -- as it originally was intended by those who drafted and ratified it. Speaking a few years ago at the University of Virginia School of Law, Justice Scalia said, "It is essential to originalism, as it is not to so-called 'evolutionary constitutional jurisprudence,' to know the original meaning of constitutional provisions."

It is for this kind of clear articulation of how to interpret our country's core legal text -- that which constitutes us as an independent and functioning nation -- that Justice Scalia will be so missed. All lovers of the Constitution should keep the torch he held up so courageously lit bright for generations to come.

Sincerely,
Robert F. Schwarzwalder, Jr.
Senior Vice-President
Family Research Council

P.S. Be sure to take advantage of FRC's outstanding lecture program -- you can view, at no charge, our speakers online as they address critical issues. Our two most recent lectures were with the distinguished scholar Dr. George Nash on "Herbert Hoover's Crusade Against Collectivism" and The Federalist's Stella Morabito discussing, "Bruce or Caitlyn? Why Everyone Should Care About the Transgender Movement."And next week, watch for a new compilation of FRC op-eds, publications, and events coming your way.

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