When I first heard about this new law that was passed, it struck me to the core. My eyes were brimming with tears. I thought, surely this can't be real. I had opened my facebook during lunch at work started to feel nauseous. My friend and coworker said, well maybe its a skewed article because it is a religious source? I said you are absolutely right, so I looked up the actual law that had been passed from the most liberal, left wing sources I could find. And they all said THE SAME THING. An abortion can be performed up to 40 weeks gestation if the life or health of the woman is at risk. I wish I hadn't seen it because I could barely get through the rest of my work day. My heart shattered into a million pieces as I thought of all of the tiny lives who haven't even been and wont be given a chance at life. The problem I have with this law is that the term health is up to interpretation. What does that mean, and where does the line stop? Does a patient who is 30 weeks along who has severe depression and anxiety qualify as someone who can have an abortion based on her mental health? It's a slippery slope and I fear for how far it will go and how many liberties will be taken with this loose terminology. If a mother's life is truly in jeopardy, and she will not survive the pregnancy and has to deliver a pre-viable baby, that is a difficult and terrible situation. That is not however what this bill addresses. It directly discusses the termination of a viable pregnancy. Let's not get that confused in our arguments and discussions. And what is often unmentioned is the fact that it is no longer considered a criminal act if a woman is attacked and her fetus doesn't survive the pregnancy.
I have been a labor and delivery nurse for over 10 years. I have worked in high risk and low risk and seen just about everything. I have held hands and wept with mothers who delivered beautiful full term babies whose heart stopped beating before they were born. I have cared for patients who had been through many rounds of IVF only to be told they were in labor at 22 weeks and their was nothing we could do to stop it. I've seen nurses hold babies who were still breathing but their parents chose to induce before viability because they had down syndrome. I have prayed with families who chose to carry their baby who would not survive outside the womb. The moments they had with that sweet baby were some of the most holy, beautiful moments I have ever experienced in my life. And every night, I give a kiss to the most beautiful little girl whose birth mother may have very well not have carried her to term if she had the option. I keep some parts of Mia's adoption story private, but I thank Jesus every day for the laws in SC that kept her beating heart alive. (I am also extremely grateful to her birth mother for choosing life and adoption). Who is to say my precious Mia didn't deserve a chance at life? Yes, she is hard and she challenges us every single day. But we fight for her, and we will keep fighting for her. Why? Because she is fearfully and wonderfully made and Jesus designed her for a purpose. And I believe that about all children, born and unborn. What about all the mothers who were told that their baby would never survive outside of the uterus and they should abort due to fetal anomalies? My brave cousin Wendy was told this and said "BUT GOD." If she had aborted, sweet little Jayme Sue who yes, does have some special needs and issues, but is the brightest light in many of our lives, would not be here.
What it comes down to is the sanctity of human life. What is life and how is the value assigned? The answer can only be found in the One who created life and His word.
Psalm 139:13-14 New International Version (NIV)
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
If your heart echoes mine and breaks over this new law and the state of our nation, I challenge you to do something. And by do something I don't mean simply hold up a sign or grieve quietly over the lives lost, but by actions. If every life matters, then we must support those lives. There are countless ways to support the least of these through being the hands and feet of Jesus. For the hundreds of thousands of children who were born but are now floundering in the foster care system, become a foster parent. Open your home and your lives. If you can't foster, support the ones who do. Bring a meal to the family who just took in a sibling group, or the woman who adopted three children through foster care as a single mother. Mentor at-risk youth. Adopt. So many people say " I would totally adopt but its so expensive." Most people we know who have adopted started with $0.00. There are many ways to raise funds, and I would be happy to help you brainstorm ideas to do so. If you can't adopt, donate to a family raising money for their adoption. Mentor and come alongside pregnant teenagers who are choosing to keep their babies. If you live in the Charleston area, there are many churches here with avenues to get involved. If you live elsewhere, reach out to your local church. I guarantee they will find a place for you.
To those who have had an abortion, or are facing an unplanned pregnancy and think abortion is the only way out, I hear you. I am so sorry for what you have been through. I am not here to judge you, and neither is Jesus. He loves you and forgives you, and wants you to know how much of a future He has planned for you. As much as the precious life inside you matters to him, so do you. YOU matter. Every life matters. If we can begin to mend our country through love and not hate, we may have a future too.
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