Last week, the White House issued a transcript of Vice President Kamala Harris’ comments on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in which she partially quoted the Declaration of Independence, that “we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  

Not only did she skip over the “life” part, but she left unsaid who endowed us with these rights in the first place. 

This was no oversight. Rather than mention the Creator or risk repeating a pro-life talking point, she chose to alter one of our nation’s founding documents. 

That edit, however, cuts off a branch we’re all standing on. You can’t pursue happiness without liberty. You can’t have liberty without a life to live freely. And, unless these rights come from God, all we have is what the state offers. If the rights enshrined in the Declaration can simply be edited out, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on.