A12. The Lesser Magistrate Doctrine is an essential stopgap approach, but it is not a permanent solution. It will not end our national policy of shedding innocent blood.

Our nation is “a government of laws and not of men.” Our most important laws are embodied within the U.S. Constitution, including its amendments. Every magistrate, at every level of government across the nation, is obligated to enforce all provisions of our Constitution. We do not seek to abolish the foundational principles of our nation, but to uphold and strengthen them.

The Lesser Magistrate Doctrine states that when a higher or superior authority creates unjust or immoral laws, the lesser ranking civil authority has both the right and the duty before God to not only not obey but to actively resist such unjust laws. Magistrates who already understand the fact that preborn babies are “persons” should not violate their consciences, but should take bold public actions to protect all “persons,” at every size and level of development.

But without the Life Amendment, the righteous actions of such “lesser magistrates” will likely face severe repercussions from other governmental officials with authority over the same jurisdictions. The actions of magistrates like Judge Roy Moore and Sheriff Joe Arpaio have been commendable, but without the Life Amendment they have not succeeded in protecting vulnerable children within their jurisdictions. Even if they had succeeded, they would have doubtless both eventually found it necessary to surrender their offices to another magistrate. We should honor their courage by giving them more support and securing their righteous principles for future generations.

In the days of slavery, courageous “lesser magistrates” rescued individual slaves from oppression; each rescue was also an appeal to the conscience of the nation. But to fully eradicate slavery throughout the nation, it was necessary to amend the Constitution.

The Life Amendment would arm magistrates with Constitutional authority for taking immediate action to protect innocent lives at every level of government. Even magistrates who support abortion would be obligated to follow these Constitutional principles. Advocates of the Lesser Magistrate Doctrine who seek a permanent end to abortion should welcome this strategy. Without the Life Amendment, even if thousands of bold lesser magistrates use all of their powers to stop abortion, there will always be another jurisdiction in America where people can go to abort their babies. We must stand in the gap now, but we must also seek to permanently repair the breach in our walls.