'Health of the Constitution' to be examined at Monmouth College talk Sept. 21

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (09/16/2021) — Two of the more contentious constitutional issues of the day - abortion rights and COVID mandates - will be discussed Sept. 21 at Monmouth College by a panel of political science professors.

Titled "The Health of the Constitution," the event will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Morgan Room on the second floor of Poling Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Those attending are required to wear masks.

"We will be discussing COVID, abortion and other current events topics and how they impact our discussion of the health of the Constitution and the nation as a whole," said Monmouth political science professor Andre Audette. "How have these debates impacted U.S. law, politics and international affairs?"

Audette and department colleague Jessica Vivian will be the event's main speakers. Michael Nelson, chair of the Monmouth department, will introduce the panel.

Vivian will speak about Texas Senate Bill 8, the controversial legislation that became law earlier this year. It's one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws because it bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Audette will address COVID regulations, including quarantine laws, mask mandates, vaccine mandates and the recent executive order by President Biden.

The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session in which audience members are invited to ask about the issues of the evening or other current event topics related to the Constitution.

Each year, on or near Sept. 17, Monmouth hosts an educational program to celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, a federal day that commemorates the signing of the final draft of the Constitution in 1787 in Philadelphia. The nation's first Constitution Day was observed in 1952 to recognize the adoption of the Constitution and persons who have become U.S. citizens.

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The signing of the final draft of the United States Constitution was done on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia.