Roe v. Wade is certainly a court case that stands out in the minds of most. It's the one that ultimately legalized abortions in the United States. This is my anti-abortion post. You've been warned.
I have always been Pro Life, but I never understood the sacrifice involved in that proclamation until July 22, 2010. That was the day (3 months to the day before her birthday!) that Abby was diagnosed with Pierre Robin's Sequence in utero. It was also the day that we were first faced with the question of medical termination. We very quickly said that we would take Abby any way that God would give her to us, and that we didn't want to discuss it anymore. The doctor respected our wishes and never brought it up again.
At the time, I couldn't believe that he would suggest such a thing over something as minor as PRS. It can seriously be nothing more than a small jaw, and there are often no other medical complications. A child might have a cleft palate, but that's about it. Do people really consider abortion over such minor birth defects?? The answer, I found from some internet research, is yes. Quite a few do.
Now knowing what we know, I have a feeling that the doctor might have suspected that Abby's issues were more extensive than just a small jaw. That may be why he brought it up, but I probably will never know.
Would I have chosen medical termination if we'd known that Abby had CCMS?
NO.
I have always been Pro Life, but now I'm a Pro Lifer who has been face to face with a terrifying decision and has chosen LIFE for my daughter. You can't truly be Pro Life until you've been there.
If I'd chosen medical termination, there would be no clapping when I come home, no cuddly hugs, no sweet kisses, no toothy grins, no Wild Thing headbanging into my stomach, no crazy hair in the mornings, no I Love You signs, no brother-and-sister-lovin', no hysterically funny temper tantrums, no bee-boppin' to music...and a million other things that I would be missing out on.
Maybe you're reading this and you have also faced that terrifying decision...and maybe you chose differently. I'm not condemning you in the slightest bit. I'm sure that it was a very tearful and difficult decision, and I'm sending you cyber-hugs right now!
Or, perhaps your reading this as a fellow Pro lifer...who has never had to face that terrifying decision. I pray you never will.
This post is for those of you who may have stumbled across my little blog because you're facing that same terrifying decision...and you're not sure what to do. I won't lie; life with Abby isn't easy! But it isn't boring either!!! :) You can do this. God will give you the strength to face whatever it is He has given you.
Choose life.
I have always been Pro Life, but I never understood the sacrifice involved in that proclamation until July 22, 2010. That was the day (3 months to the day before her birthday!) that Abby was diagnosed with Pierre Robin's Sequence in utero. It was also the day that we were first faced with the question of medical termination. We very quickly said that we would take Abby any way that God would give her to us, and that we didn't want to discuss it anymore. The doctor respected our wishes and never brought it up again.
At the time, I couldn't believe that he would suggest such a thing over something as minor as PRS. It can seriously be nothing more than a small jaw, and there are often no other medical complications. A child might have a cleft palate, but that's about it. Do people really consider abortion over such minor birth defects?? The answer, I found from some internet research, is yes. Quite a few do.
Now knowing what we know, I have a feeling that the doctor might have suspected that Abby's issues were more extensive than just a small jaw. That may be why he brought it up, but I probably will never know.
Would I have chosen medical termination if we'd known that Abby had CCMS?
NO.
I have always been Pro Life, but now I'm a Pro Lifer who has been face to face with a terrifying decision and has chosen LIFE for my daughter. You can't truly be Pro Life until you've been there.
If I'd chosen medical termination, there would be no clapping when I come home, no cuddly hugs, no sweet kisses, no toothy grins, no Wild Thing headbanging into my stomach, no crazy hair in the mornings, no I Love You signs, no brother-and-sister-lovin', no hysterically funny temper tantrums, no bee-boppin' to music...and a million other things that I would be missing out on.
Maybe you're reading this and you have also faced that terrifying decision...and maybe you chose differently. I'm not condemning you in the slightest bit. I'm sure that it was a very tearful and difficult decision, and I'm sending you cyber-hugs right now!
Or, perhaps your reading this as a fellow Pro lifer...who has never had to face that terrifying decision. I pray you never will.
This post is for those of you who may have stumbled across my little blog because you're facing that same terrifying decision...and you're not sure what to do. I won't lie; life with Abby isn't easy! But it isn't boring either!!! :) You can do this. God will give you the strength to face whatever it is He has given you.
Choose life.
Comments
I found your blog through Reagan's and I have to say I really enjoyed your post.
I have always considered myself Pro-Choice and thought that as I read your first paragraph.
But as I continued...I was also born with Pierre Robin's and my (perfectly fine) jaw dropped when I read your doctor's suggestion!
Thank you for offering a new perspective to those who may not have seen it...
Best wishes.
Karen
Also, for the record, I've never had an abortion, but I did have a mom who got unexpectedly pregnant at 18 when she thought she was using contreception and have heard many lessons about how it ruined her life. Some people just don't want to be mothers.
I have a special one, too. It is a joyous life.
Nice to meet you! ~Bree~
I would certainly continue with a pregnancy that had been given a poor prognosis and love the child I was given, but I still want that to be my choice that I make with my family-- just like it was your choice that you made with your husband.
While some conditions may result in health problems and disabilities, others like anencephaly (when the fetus's skull and brain do not develop) do not result in a viable life form but may still go on to a full-term pregnancy. If this were my own diagnosis, I would want time to talk and pray with my family before I made a decision--not be told I had to proceed in a specific, predetermined way.
In an impossible situation, I want to have control over my own body, and I don't want someone to put a political buzzword on that or try to make me (or any other woman) feel bad about thinking for myself.
Just to say, embrace yourselves to love, whatever the situation is. If it is meant to be, you will be given the strength to endure, and grow as a person, at the heart level. With much love annilii