Times editorial: Immigration, abortion and the next president

The struggle for equality has defined the United States from its earliest days, when its declarations of liberty clashed with its embrace of real-world inequities. More than two centuries later, we continue to debate the full meaning of equality in American life. We have seen great progress -- no longer does any serious person question the promises of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which extended the rights to due process and ‘equal protection of the laws’ to all inhabitants of all the states. Yet many of the social issues that divide us reflect a still-unrealized commitment to equality for all.