“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands . . .” – Isaiah 49:14-16
I can honestly say now, two and a half years after the fact, that I am truly grateful for our miscarriage in January 2004. That may sound shocking to you, why? Let me clarify . . . I am not thankful we lost our baby, but I am so grateful that losing our first child shook me to the core like it did. Our tragedy awakened me to LIFE!
What I mean by this is that I began to really search out some previously held notions. After we had our miscarriage, I did some intense research into abortion and other related issues. There were many issues I had never really thought about before, but I began to confront these head on and to make more informed decisions about them.
Life became so much more precious to me after having experienced our child’s death. I’ve always known that human life, regardless of developmental stage, is phenomenally sacred, but I wanted to really live by this principle by protecting it and fighting for it in the ways I knew how – through research and writing and sharing my experiences.
That being said, you may not agree with some of the ideas in this article, and you may feel quite uncomfortable with the questions posed; but, I do hope you will allow the concerns and ideas expressed to, at the very least, become a catalyst for you, to think more deeply about the undercurrent of values (or worldview) that we have allowed to subtly creep into our culture.
Allow me to probe your senses a bit with the following situations . . .
Scenario #1
A preemie baby boy named Bryce, born at 24 weeks, surviving outside his mother’s womb through the tireless help of expert physicians in a local hospital’s neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) versus the corpse of a fetus, whose mother carried him for 24 weeks, tossed aside after a doctor performs an intensely painful partial-birth abortion on the “fetus” whose legs were moving just prior to the “surgical procedure” . . .
(See Note #1 below for related information).
Scenario #2
A man and wife profoundly mourning the loss of their child through miscarriage at 4 weeks gestation versus that same woman, years earlier and single at the time, willingly undergoing a procedure to rid herself of a child she conceived one month earlier . . .
(See Note #2 below for related information).
Scenario #3
A couple, desperately struggling through years of infertility, attempting to finally have a child through a pricey in-vitro fertilization procedure, whose days-old embryo fails to implant versus a couple that unknowingly, unwittingly loses a growing embryo because the birth control pill they have chosen for contraception possesses the potential for preventing implantation in the event of breakthrough ovulation . . .
(See Notes #3 & #4 below for related information).
Go back and read all 3 scenarios again with the following question in mind . . . What is the dividing line in these true-to-life scenarios?
You will see that the dividing line is not stage of development; that is the common factor in each situation. The question being asked in all these situations is not our friend Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be?” The embryo/fetus/baby (however you want to describe it) is. If it was not (did not exist or live), then there would be no need to make a choice about its continued existence. The overarching question, then, in all these stories is wanted-ness. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so to speak.
You see, we can argue all day about when life really begins, when the embryo or fetus actually becomes a little human being with intrinsic value. The only reason the line moves on any given day, for any given person, boils down to how much the child conceived and developing is wanted, how valued it is to the one carrying it and those around them. To those who value the life of children, the united egg/sperm is infinitely precious, talked about with warmth and love; to those who value other things more highly, the developing baby is disposable, couched in cold clinical language like “products of conception,” “unviable,” “emptying the uterus.” The fact that The Center for Disease Control is the key federal agency in charge of tracking abortion statistics says it all. When did we begin considering pregnancy a disease, and babies a form of cancer?
This is completely Hitler-esque in its implications. In fact, I venture to say the United States of America, symbol of the free world, has permitted and performed more atrocity within its borders since 1973 than Nazi Germany ever did. If the death of 6 million Jewish men, women, and children is mind-blowingly tragic, representing brutal atrocity of the most evil kind imaginable, the gruesome pictures gut-wrenchingly horrible . . . then, what kind of words can ever be utilized to adequately describe the fact that, since 1973’s Roe v. Wade decision, over 30 million babies have been deemed “life unworthy of life” (the terminology used during the Holocaust), aborted as a form of birth control because of the inconvenience of it all – “global massacre” doesn’t even come close. (By the way, 30 million is a very conservative estimate . . . the figure is probably closer to 45 million according to some sources. Worldwide, approximately 126,000 abortions are performed every single day).
Just as a compass always “knows” where north is, so is the line when life begins. Our conscience, placed within us by our Creator, knows deep, deep down that a miracle happens when a sperm and egg unite (fertilization). There is very suddenly a dynamic power released on a microscopic level. You know this to be true because somewhere you know that you have value as well, starting at the very beginning of your own existence. We have tried to change north to justify our actions and choices, and in the process, we have lost ourselves. The line really never moved. A human being is a human being is a human being is a human being, regardless of phase of development.
Think upon a caterpillar (or larva) for a moment. Is it any less a future butterfly? Absolutely not – it is a butterfly in its earlier stages and possesses all the DNA of a butterfly. At its essence it is a butterfly regardless of its form. We would never say that the caterpillar or larva is not living, is not fundamentally alive! So how can we say that a human embryo/fetus, of infinitely more value than any other living thing creature on this earth, “made in God’s image,” is not alive just because it is in its earliest stages of development? Thomas Henry Huxley, British biologist and educator, once said “ The student of Nature wonders the more and is astonished the less, the more conversant he becomes with her operations; but of all the perennial miracles she offers to his inspection, perhaps the most worthy of admiration is the development of a plant or of an animal from its embryo.” Why does watching the development of animal embryos create such a sense of fascination and awe, and yet we debase a human embryo as rubbish we can toss aside on a whim? Did you know that commercial livestock have more legal protection against feeling pain than an unborn child? (See link under Note #1 below on fetal pain during an abortion).
I mentioned before that I began to really dig deep into other issues related to abortion in the last few years. By that I mean I wanted to have integrity in my belief that life begins at fertilization. (A side note on integrity: I have always thought it completely absurd and hypocritical for those who bomb abortion clinics to call themselves “pro-life.” Additionally, it makes no sense for pro-choicers in abortion clinics to not allow women seeking abortions to see an ultrasound of the growing life inside them prior to the procedure – they just might lose a “sale” if they did – or to not give women complete information on what happens to the fetus during abortion – choice means I have the right to make an informed decision given all the information).
If life begins at fertilization, then there are other areas of my life that must be affected by this knowledge, other decisions that must be faced. You see, I cannot say that “human life begins at fertilization” and then turn around and say that “human life begins at fertilization but only in cases when it’s wanted, so I can therefore use it for medical purposes and scientific progress and experimentation (i.e. stem cell research)” or “human life begins at fertilization, but I don’t really need to acknowledge it as such until the embryo successfully implants.”
For example, after our son was born, my husband and I had to decide whether or not to go back on the pill. I had not especially liked being on the pill for our first two years of marriage, mainly because of how I felt on hormones, but I certainly wasn’t opposed to it at the time. It was just something that married people did to control how many children they have, to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Did you catch that? But, as I began to research and fully understand how the pill works, I realized that it actually significantly decreases the lining of the uterus (endometrium), making it unfavorable for implantation of a fertilized egg in the event of breakthrough ovulation. In fact, the pill’s effectiveness as a contraceptive relies on three mechanisms: 1) suppressing ovulation ( pre-fertilization) 2) thickening the cervical mucus to slow sperm from reaching the egg ( pre-fertilization) and 3) thinning the lining of the uterus to prevent implantation of an embryo ( post-fertilization). In fact, progestin-only pills (the “mini-pill”) rarely suppress ovulation, so they rely exclusively on mechanisms 2 and 3 above. The Center for Bio-ethical Reform says it well: “Those who seek to protect the sanctity of human life from the point of fertilization should be cautious about taking any drug which could end the developing child’s life.” Am I any less guilty of practicing unwantedness (not wanting a child “at this time”) when I choose the pill for contraception?
Because of this knowledge, along with an understanding of long-term effects of pill usage on the body of a woman, including an increased risk of certain cancers and increased likelihood of infertility because of ovulation suppression, we felt the strong conviction to stop using the pill and move to the natural family planning method, which is at least 90% effective when used correctly. I also came to the realization that I can’t, with integrity, protect the rights of unborn children if I myself have chosen to ignore the possibility that one day my own unborn child might not be able to continue his/her development (i.e. implant) because I have taken a hormone that makes his/her growing environment, the endometrium, hostile. I have, in essence, not allowed my baby to live. I too, then, have chosen abortion. (For more information on how the pill works, see Note #3 below.)
Another area about which I have had to search deeply is the issue of in-vitro fertilization. One of the biggest reasons I’ve deeply struggled over the issue of in-vitro fertilization is because there are so many couples I love dearly who have battled infertility for various reasons. Barrenness is excruciatingly painful on an emotional level, and no one can fully understand it unless they are living through it themselves. Each week, month, and year that goes by brings with it deeper and deeper grief. Mother’s Day can be especially dark and depressing; and as much as we want to be joyful for others, watching friends become pregnant only serves as a reminder that we are not. Though my husband and I have also experienced infertility, most likely from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) though we are not definitively certain, I can in no way know all of the feelings that someone experiences, or the decisions that they face, when they hear from their physician that it is medically impossible to have children through natural means. Adoption, though not for everyone, is a great choice for pro-lifers because it actively supports birth mothers who choose to carry their babies to full term in an abortion era.
Though this is an extremely emotionally-charged issue, the reason I do not agree with IVF as a fertility treatment, simply put, is my belief that “human life begins at fertilization.” If I’m to have any integrity as a pro-lifer, I cannot say this and then turn around and say “human life begins at fertilization, but only when it is inside a woman’s body.” You see, there is an extreme to wantedness; do I want a child so badly that I am willing to discard many fertilized, growing embryos in the hopes of carrying one or two to full-term? Can I lovingly request photos of my developing embryos at one moment (approximately 10 eggs are usually fertilized in the process of IVF), then conveniently forget about the remaining embryos once one or two of them are placed into the womb? The UCLA Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine states the following on their web-site regarding what happens to the unused fertilized eggs that result from IVF: “There are approximately 400,000 stored fertilized eggs in IVF clinics. Tens of thousands of fertilized eggs are routinely destroyed when couples finish IVF treatment because of defects in the fertilized eggs.” Please, please do not hear me saying that the life of a baby born through IVF is lesser in value in some way. This is not so! Any child, no matter how it was conceived, is pricelessly precious and valuable. Precisely my point . . . every embryo possesses value, including those that are discarded in the process of IVF. (For further understanding of IVF procedures, see Note #4 below).
Another concern to consider with IVF as an assisted fertility choice is the process of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) via which a reproductive endocrinologist selects out those embryos deemed “unhealthy.” This includes those with Down’s Syndrome and those predisposed genetically to certain cancers. In the same vein, my dad sent me a recent article from a daily news site in the United Kingdom entitled “Babies aborted for not being perfect” (see Note #1 below for link) that discusses the practice of post 20-week terminations when babies are discovered to have minor birth defects, including club feet, extra digits, and cleft palate. Okay, here’s the insanity of it all: there are laws in our nation that bestow a special protection and care upon those with disabilities (mental or physical or genetic); there are also laws that protect against hate crimes that target a certain group of people. If someone were to go around attempting murder on those born with Down’s Syndrome, or targeting only those known to have hemophilia, they would be quickly prosecuted and behind bars. Also, in today’s interconnected world, if anyone rises to the surface internationally because of persecution which targets a certain people group, they are brought before a multi-national tribunal to be tried for grave human rights violations amidst great outcry. Where’s the logic? We have declared that human embryos are not human simply because they are at an earlier stage of development? We have declared hatred upon all that we deem imperfect?
Another practice that is not regulated in the U.S. is the process of gender selection during the IVF process. How has this become possible in a nation that supposedly fights against gender discrimination and for women’s rights? What have we become? Freedom has become our god, so we have lost our moral compass; and, because of that, everything is justifiable, anything becomes permissible. This is why there must be a standard, why God gave us the Ten Commandments, why He said “do not murder”; it was not just to make us obey a bunch of rules. He gave them to mankind – if you look deep enough, you will find them engraved upon your conscience – to protect us from others, to protect others from us, and to protect us from ourselves.
Allow me to close with the following quotations regarding the unwantedness of the unborn, their slaughter . . . one, by one, by one, by one . . . genocide of the worst scale imaginable . . . hell on earth.
History counts its skeletons in round numbers.
A thousand and one remains a thousand,
as though the one had never existed:
an imaginary embryo, an empty cradle,
an ABC never read,
air - that laughs, cries, grows,
emptiness running down steps toward the garden,
nobody’s place in the line.
- by Polish poetess Wislawa Szymborska
“Why do you sow where the field is eager to destroy the fruit, where there are medicines of sterility, where there is murder before birth?” – St. John Chrysostom (390 A.D.)
We can see the child moving rather serenely in the uterus . . . The child senses aggression in its sanctuary. . . We see the child’s mouth wide open in a silent scream.
- from The Silent Scream film (1984) on the abortion of a 12-week old fetus, narrated by Dr. Bernard Nathanson
Note # 1 – Partial-Birth Abortion
WARNING: The links provided in this section are not for the squeamish or faint-hearted.
- For a visual representation of Scenario #1 above (a sign entitled “Insanity of Choice”), and for an understanding of how abortion is the same as genocide, check out this excellent web-site from the Center for Bio-ethical Reform. [link]
- “Babies Aborted for Not Being Perfect” – Daily Mail, United Kingdom [link]
- Understand what is involved in the partial-birth abortion procedure called Dilation & Extraction (D&X). Approximately 4000 are performed every year according to Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers. [link]
- See a medical diagram of the Dilation & Extraction procedure. [link]
- Understand what is involved in Dilation & Evacuation (D&E) – the primary abortion procedure performed in the second trimester and as late as 24 weeks. [link]
- See a medical diagram of the Dilation & Evacuation procedure. [link]
- Understand fetal/infant pain during an abortion. [link]
- Medical Professionals at the University of Pennsylvania Pregnancy Health Center state that preterm babies born at 23 weeks do have a 25% survival rate outside the womb (this is 21 weeks gestation, by the way). [link]
Note #2 - Miscarriage
- For further reading on the ironic relationship between miscarriage and abortion, see my previous article entitled “There Was Life Inside Me.” [link]
Note #3 – The Pill
- Understand how “the pill” works at the following sites:
- “The Pill - How it Works and Fails” by Pharmacists for Life [link]
- “Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?” by Pastor Randy Alcorn [link]
- “‘The Pill’: Should Orthodox Christians be Concerned?” by The Orthodox Natural Family Planning Association [link]
- Understand the side effects of long-term pill usage. [link]
Note #4 – In-Vitro Fertilization
- Understand what is involved in in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Note that fertilized, growing embryos are discarded in the process. Additionally, note the processes of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and sex selection. [link] [link] [link]
- UCLA Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine – “Frequently Asked Questions About Stem Cells” [link]
Home | Articles | Other Resources | Contact Us |
