Pregnant Woman Told of Fetal Abnormalities: "I Will Not be the Killing Hand"
"The little one in my womb is moving around, kicking his mother, and hopefully enjoying a refreshing swim. I am told that he knows no pain, and that while he is in the uterus, he is as safe as can be. I walk him every day, talk to him often, and pray for him always."
(Ottawa, Canada)—20 weeks into her pregnancy, a happily married Catholic teacher was informed her baby had holoprocencephaly - a hole in the brain stem - as well as fluid in the brain and a severe heart condition. After being given her medical "options," including the choice to terminate her baby's life, she informed her doctor that she refused to be the one responsible for her child's death, trusting that God had a plan for her son.
"Termination was not an option for me, and I informed the doctor of this immediately," said the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous. "He is our creation and God's creation and we will take him as he comes."
"With each new day, I learn to accept this situation," she said. "For example, I know that I cannot change my circumstances, and therefore must proceed with the daily grind of life. In other ways, it becomes more difficult. It is a very odd experience to be pregnant, knowing that I may never get to bring my baby home from the hospital, and that instead of anticipating his whole life, I may have to prepare for his funeral and burial."
Her child has already defied the probabilities, as many unborn babies with such severe health conditions would have self-aborted within the first few months of gestation.
"I say he must really be extraordinary to be discounting all medical theories with respect to chromosome-gene results, and his longevity," she said of her child. "I tell him that even the doctors aren't sure why he's lived so long (most babies with these abnormalities self-abort long before now), and that he is special because of this. I tell you this because I want you to know that, despite the grim outlook… I am carrying this baby as long as he will let me, and will not be the killing hand."
The woman hopes that her story will help make others aware of the side of the abortion debate not usually covered by the mainstream media, the side that affirms the intrinsic goodness and beauty of human life, no matter how short-lived, or seemingly "useless" it may be.
"The little one in my womb is moving around, kicking his mother, and hopefully enjoying a refreshing swim. I am told that he knows no pain, and that while he is in the uterus, he is as safe as can be. I walk him every day, talk to him often, and pray for him always," she said.
As for what she and her husband expect in the long run, she said, "Our prayer is simple: That we will get to meet our little one, tell him that we love him, and watch him fall deep into a sleep that will bring him to Heaven."
