The Constitution is not a suicide pact such time that a proven vetting mechanism is in place. When asked if this was a rollback to his previous stance, he denied it was, saying, "Our constitution is great, but it doesn't necessarily give us the right to commit suicide, okay?" The Constitution is not a suicide pact "The Constitution is not a suicide pact" is a phrase in American political and legal discourse. The phrase expresses the belief that constitutional restrictions on governmental power must be balanced against the need for survival of the state and its people. It is most often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, as a
Section 51(xxvi) of the Australian Constitution period to the country whence they came." There were delegates, however, at the 1898 Convention who argued against the use of legislative power to deal specifically with alien races, accepting that people might be excluded from Australia based on race, but arguing that once people were admitted to the country they should be treated in the same way as other citizens. The scope of s 51(xxvi), is, subject to the Constitution itself, unfettered, in keeping with s 51 granting plenary powers to the Commonwealth. Section 51(xxvi) supports the rejection of legal equality requirements when considering legislation otherwise validly enacted under