U.S. was founded to ensure freedom of beliefs

I can hardly believe what I read about the current activities of pro-life organizations. They are dismayed that although it is a crime to kill dogs or alpacas, women who have abortions are not put in jail.

This is because there is no consensus in this society that a fetus has the same human rights as a person who has been born, much less so in the world as a whole.

In this country, we enjoy freedom of belief. Conservatives interpret freedom of belief as meaning that with a 51 percent majority, they could pass legislation forcing all liberals to act according to conservative Christian principles.

But even if they had 70 or 80 percent of public opinion behind them, they could only pass their laws by denying freedom of belief, thus reverting to a form of moral tyranny from which our nation was meant to be a refuge.

Rick Fanning

Centerville