A Culteral Contrast

Two interesting story lines hit the fan this past week.  The first, the November 8th elections, specifically Proposition 26 (the Personhood amendment) in Mississippi.  The second, the scandal that broke at Penn State University involving former football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.  The personhood amendment of Mississippi was an effort to preserve the dignity of human life by saying that a life at the moment of fertilization should be considered a person, and therefor receive the same rights as any other American person.  The Sandusky scandal produced a firestorm of criticism surrounding the the phrase "the moral thing to do."  My aim is not to comment on whether coach Paterno did enough or failed in doing what was needed to be done in this case.  My aim is to highlight the interesting contrast that exists between these two stories.  The key world is "moral" and has been posited by every journalist involved in the Penn State story.  A key word in the Proposition 26 story is personhood.  The contrast begins with the fact that these two stories mainly broke on the same day.  In one scene a large group of people celebrated, because they were able to maintain their right to abort unborn lives.  In another scene, a large number of people wept over the harm propagated by one man.  In the first scene the victims are silent and the propagators are hailed as victors.  In the second scene, the victims are also silent, but the blame nearly skips over the main propagator and is mainly placed upon people who did not commit the act but, did not do the "moral thing."  The main point I seek to make is that it is interesting that a culture that proudly touts the high road when it come to matters of child molestation, and screams foul at any who turn a blind eye at such matters (which it should), is willing to turn a blind eye at the destruction of unborn life and the careless disposal of aborted babies in dumpsters outside of abortion clinics (which it should not).  Can a society discern what the "moral thing to do" is when such a contrast and contradiction exists?  I should hope not, Father, help us.