All in a Word

I know. A broken record. "Stan, seriously, do you need to keep visiting this topic?" Yes, yes I do. The topic, of course, is the definition of words. "Come on! English is a living language. It's bound to evolve!" Fine. But is it bound to evolve out of all meaningful usage? "I mean, what's the big deal? What really is at stake here?" Oh, likely more than you know. Here's an example. In the Roe v Wade case, the line of reasoning went something like this:

Supreme Court: "What is the States compelling interest¹ in this case? Is it the protection of the woman or the protection of the fetus?"

Pro-Abortion Lawyer: "Only the mother."

State Lawyer: "Both."

Supreme Court: "Why both?"

State Lawyer: "Because medical science assures us that the unborn is a human being at the end of fertilization. Thus, both the mother and the unborn baby are human and compel the State to protect them."

Pro-Abortion Lawyer: "We disagree that the unwanted child² is a human being."

Supreme Court: "Well, at what point does that entity stop being a non-human and start being a human?"

Pro-Abortion Lawyer: "At birth."

State Lawyer: "What's the difference 30 minutes before birth and 30 minutes after birth that defines the baby as human or not human? We contend that there is no difference."

Supreme Court: "If the fetus is a person, then the 14th Amendment would end this question, wouldn't it?"

Both Lawyers: "Yes."

Supreme Court: "So who determines if it is a person?"

Pro-Abortion Lawyer: "The mother³."

State Lawyer: "Science, medicine, logic, the fact that it's a human being, moral demands, and, ultimately, the legislature."

Supreme Court: "No, we do. Not a person. Next!"

That's right. The entire Roe v Wade decision hinged on the definition of "person". Now, the dictionary says that a "person" is a human being, an individual. The unborn baby is a human being, an individual. But not a person. Legally, "person" is defined as an unspecified individual. The unborn baby is an unspecified individual. But not a person. Science, medicine, biology, morality, philosophy, law, and logic all demand that a human being, by definition, is a "person". But the courts have decided otherwise, and killing babies prior to birth is legal, while "person" gets to be defined by the mother. "I want it; it's a person", or "I don't want it; it's not a person."

The ramifications are obvious. In the 1800's, black people were legally defined as non-persons -- sub-human. No legal rights. Property. In the same period, native Americans were defined as non-persons -- sub-human. No legal rights. As late as the 20th century, women were defined as non-persons. They went from no legal rights and the status of property to limited legal rights before they ever arrived at today's status. In Nazi Germany, Jews were classified as sub-human. No rights. Killing them wasn't acceptable; it was preferred. And so it goes. If "person" is so nebulous as that, then what's to stop the courts and the culture from redefining anyone as "non-person"? Are the elderly next? How about Christians? How about you?

You see, definitions (or the lack thereof) are important.
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¹ "Compelling interest" is vital to law. If the State has no interest sufficient to compel it to make a rule about something, it's supposed to stay out of it. (Side question: If "compelling interest" is the standard, what "compelling interest" does the State have in marriage if it is redefined to eliminate (by including other than) the core family -- husband, wife, child?)

² Seriously, "unwanted child" was the term used by the pro-abortion side in pamphlets distributed to encourage the repeal of abortion laws.

³ Sarah Weddington was the pro-abortion side lawyer (and they liked the term "pro-abortion" back then), and she actually argued that the woman gets to decide if a fetus is a person or not.