The Republican party, a party that has portrayed itself as the party of ‘American values.’ Despite the current discord within American politics, it is rather safe to say that the majority of Americans see; “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” as American values. Let’s digest this well-known phrase into three separate parts, focusing on each individually.

First “Life.” the Republican party maintains the firm stance that it is the pro-life party whenever the controversial topic of abortion is mentioned. What few people realize, is that the Republican party shares the views of two very famous political parties on this issue; the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the Nazi Party. In Nazi Germany shortly after Hitler became Chancellor the sale of contraceptives became an incredibly gray area, many Doctors were too afraid to prescribe them since the law was too ambiguous and was not worth the repercussions. If a woman felt that an abortion was necessary, a council would have to appropriate it, which could be an arduous process. While in the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin abortion was made illegal on the grounds of population growth and the promotion of a family unit.

Do any of those sound similar to you? In twenty-seven states, a woman must take a specified period of time before she may have an abortion. In eighteen states, the woman must undergo counseling. In Indiana in 2016, Governor Mike Pence mandated funerals for fetuses. While in 2011 in Mississippi, and the House Republicans attempted to push forth legislation that would effectively make a zygote a cell, which would have made an IUD illegal. In 2012 Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would give states the right to decide whether or not birth control qualifies under Medicaid, to name a few.

In regards to the second aspect of American values; Liberty. Thomas Jefferson defined Liberty as: “Unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.” Put, Thomas Jefferson believed that the confines of one’s rights were defined by that of the citizen that was suffering from the most political injustice. My fellow Americans you may call yourselves free, but you are not. Under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the United States forced the relocation and incarceration of Japanese Americans into concentration camps out fear they would conspire with the Japanese Empire. Sadly this act was deemed legal by the Supreme court under Korematsu v. the United States (1944).

However, the public disagreed with the court’s ruling and cried never again. We vowed never again to internment camps on our soil, and after witnessing the aftermath of the Holocaust in Europe committed by Nazi Germany we said; never still even louder. Every time, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur. Never again. Those words are starting to ring hollow.

Now the concentration camps in the United States are happening once more. The United States has created a vast array of detention centers that dehumanizes anyone that is held within them. Donald Trump himself has stated; “These aren’t people. These are animals.” This statement sets an incredibly dangerous precedent. Raphael Lemkin the man known for coining the word genocide argued that Genocide was “Participating in a conspiracy to destroy a national, racial or religious group, undertakes an attack against life, liberty or property of members of such groups is guilty of the crime of genocide.” The Trump administration has actively scapegoated Latinos, and Arabic refugees and immigrants for issues the nation faces today.

The dehumanization is the second step in the process towards genocide, the first step classification, and the third denial which many could argue the Trump Administration is currently in. The fourth step being extermination. The conditions in these camps are horrendous, they are forced to sleep on concrete, there’s no access to properly needed toiletries and what’s worse the longer these camps are allowed to stay open the more excuses the Trump administration will find for housing people within the cages within them.

These people are not the only victims of the Trump administration, at the G20 summit, Donald Trump ‘joked’ admired the lack of what ‘fake news’ in Russia, stating; “Get rid of them. Fake news is a great term, isn’t it? You don’t have this problem in Russia, but we do.” Since Vladimir Putin became, President twenty-six journalists have been murdered. While in Russia news organization such as TASS, Novosti, RT, all of which are state-owned, while the more influential newspapers are owned by Gazprom, a company close to the Russian government.

How can one pursue happiness in a society when Liberty is degrading so rapidly? The simple answer, no moral person with any respect for other human life can. If the Republican party were pro-life, they would not be dehumanizing people to the point where twenty-four people lost their lives in ICE custody. The Republicans are not pro-life, they are pro-birth just as Stalin’s Russia and Hitler’s Germany were.

Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, American values, American values the Republicans claim to hold near and dear. When in fact they are actively dismantling them.