Do You Want to Keep It?

“You’re pregnant, do you want to keep it?” That was the question I was asked about my second son. I needed to confirm my pregnancy before seeing a gynecologist. That was in 1976 in the US. There were no home pregnancy tests, yet. So I went to a Planned Parenthood clinic. I was fooled by their name to think this was about planning a pregnancy!

I was so horrified by the insinuation that I should even consider abortion!

I had been told before we married that I had a couple different conditions that would make it difficult or impossible to get pregnant or carry a baby to term. After a miscarriage, God surprised us with our first son. Then four years later, I was sure I was pregnant again. Of course I wanted to keep this baby!

That was only three short years after Roe v Wade made it legal to do abortions in the US. In 46 years more than 60 million abortions have been reported in the US. The number worldwide is even more staggering!

There are multiple tragedies out of this epidemic of abortions. The loss of so many babies to grow to be productive citizens, moms and dads with post abortion distress, and the moral confusion over this issue. (To see articles about mom and dad post abortion distress click these links: Moms and Dads)

Looking at this tragedy along side the increasing number of couples who are infertile is heart wrenching! How many of those aborted babies would be eagerly adopted, if they had been allowed to live!

In Christianity Today a mother told her story.  About halfway through her pregnancy, they were confronted by the news that the baby she was carrying had a life-threatening heart defect.

The first doctor who spoke with them, told them their options: life-saving surgeries, comforting  care once born and for the short time she would live, or choose to abort. When the mom strongly reacted to the offer of abortion, he said he was required by law to inform her of the option to abort. Another doctor showed them more compassion and support, but even that doctor risked discipline if abortion was not offered.

There is much more to her story, but what I want to focus on here is that the options presented and the decisions we make about a pregnancy or abortion show our view on the value of life.

Every baby born is going to die eventually. We are not saving these babies the trauma of dying, but we are choosing whether they get to live life, however long or short that may be.

Do we have the right to say, “This child is worthy to live and that one isn’t?” Do we have the right to say, “Because this child will be an inconvenience, it should die.” Just because it is legal, does that make it moral? Of course not!

It is good to reinforce our reasons for resisting the sugary, tolerant, freedom language that can obscure the moral stand we are taking with our choices. The candy covers a poison pill. For me, as a former neo-natal nurse, a mother, and a grandmother, no law will ever make right what is wrong.