Roe

Diary Entry: October 18, 2016

The topic du jour in Constitutional Law was Roe v. Wade.

Our professor, in a move that was, to me, absolutely brilliant, brought in a guest speaker. A judge! From California! He was Chinese-American, thin as a legal brief, somewhere between 40 and 50, and held fascinatingly strong, conservative views. This immediately filled me with such admiration! Our professor is known for his own strong, passionate liberal opinions, so seeing him bring in someone with a completely different perspective just shows how truly open-minded he is! He’s showing us what real academic debate looks like!

The judge had such a focused, powerful intellect! He proceeded to methodically analyze Roe, examining its structural integrity. His core argument was that it lacked any consistent, underlying theory. “It has none,” he stated, flatly. It was so wonderfully provocative, making everyone in the room think!

He began the lecture by lobbing a seemingly simple question into the room, a wonderful invitation that hung in the air and was met with a moment of deep, collective thought. “What are factions,” he asked, “and why did the Founding Fathers warn against them?”

Nothing. Nobody moved. I could feel everyone in the room digging deep, pondering the question, wanting to get the answer just right.

But I’d read the Federalist Papers! I was so excited, I couldn’t help it! My hand shot up, eager to contribute. I gave the textbook answer, citing James Madison’s take in Federalist 10. I was so happy I could share!

And just like that, I had set the stage for the rest of the class! The judge, having seen that I understood the fundamentals, then spent the rest of the session generously focusing on the other students, trying to bring them into the discussion, too. He never called on me again, and I realized he was using me as a great example! He didn’t need to check my understanding again; he was trusting me and giving others a chance to catch up. What a wonderful teaching strategy! He was showing that this debate was for everyone, and he wanted all voices to join in.

So, I lowered my hand, feeling so proud I’d kicked things off. The class swelled around me, finally energized to debate the great and complex legal question of abortion, and I just beamed. My mind was buzzing, and I felt so full of energy, I pulled out my phone, found a football stream, and just relaxed, knowing I’d done my part. What a great class!