Imagine having a baby, cradling her little body in your arms and watching her die as you hold her. You thought and hoped you would get to see her smile, grow up, make friends, go to school, and enjoy the beautiful things in this life. Instead, you only had a couple hours. A couple hours to watch her struggle to breathe and then you had to feel her life leave her little body.
Some people experience things that cause so much emotional damage. Some people’s experiences cause wounds that are so deep they never heal in this life. I imagine that having to watch your own baby die would do this sort of damage. I think it would do that to me.
Fetal anomalies have been in the news lately with states passing laws and restrictions around abortion. While some states that ban abortion have an exception if there is a diagnosed fetal anomaly, others like Texas do not.
Leah Savas of World Magazine reports that “Of the 17 states with laws currently in effect that protect unborn babies from abortion at around six weeks of gestation or starting at conception, about one-third allow for abortions on babies who receive a diagnosis of what the laws often refer to as ‘lethal’ fetal anomalies.”
Texas recently upheld its abortion ban when a lawsuit was filed against it by 20 women who were seeking to clarify the law and allow abortions in the case of fetal anomalies. Texas denied the request to include fetal anomaly as a reason for abortion, but it did provide further clarity regarding the life of the mother exception.
Samantha Casiano, one of the plaintiffs in the case against Texas, whose preborn child was diagnosed with anencephaly, said this about the ruling and her situation:
“I was told my baby would not survive, but I was forced to continue my pregnancy and give birth anyway, then watch her pass away hours later…I don’t know how the court could hear what I went through and choose to do nothing … I am embarrassed to be a Texan because of these inhumane laws.”
Contrast Casiano’s response to her situation with that of Kathryn Kerr, whose daughter was diagnosed with Trisomy 18. She was able to spend time with her daughter before she died. Even though she had to experience the grief of losing her daughter like Casiano, Kerr said it was worth it. “You get to hold your baby, you get to see their features. You get to see if they have mom’s eyes or dad’s ears. You get to enjoy time with them, no matter what the situation is.”
As we stand strong in our defense of human life regardless of how long someone lives, our response to these situations should be measured, sensitive, and full of compassion for the emotionally gut-wrenching experiences families go through when they get these diagnoses and have to watch their baby die. When we have conversations about abortion, we can be walking with someone into a place that is full of so much pain and heartache.
There is a monumental difference between killing one’s own child (or hiring someone else to do it) and allowing a child to die naturally in the loving arms of their mother or father.
Don’t forget how abortions are performed. The human inside the womb is starved to death, poisoned, dismembered, and/or given a shot to induce a heart attack so her dead body can be delivered. We are supposed to believe that doing this to a disabled human is “compassion” and those who advocate against it are the “bad guys”? The laws that allow preborn humans to be killed like this are inhumane, not the people trying to protect them.
To clear away the political and linguistic fog that covers these situations, imagine the women who brought the case against Texas were asking that the law be clear that women have the right to kill their born children who have disabilities and may not live very long. What if they were asking for the right to take their born disabled baby into a clinic so a “doctor” could kill them?
Usually when these kinds of questions are asked the immediate response is that it’s “different” because the human isn’t born yet and is still in the mother’s body. Yet the description of abortion above is what is happening. The human we are talking about is just younger, living in the womb, dependent on the woman’s body, and cannot be held in her mother’s arms yet.
This is the constant and prevalent challenge pro-lifers face. The pro-choice side frames these kinds of stories coming out of places like Texas with the assumption that humans in the womb are not equal to born humans. They point out the differences between the preborn and the rest of us and then use those differences to justify their deaths. It is often assumed that because they are not born yet, they do not deserve the same equal protection from violence that we do. It’s a wrong and dangerous assumption to make.
The pro-life position is one of true equality for all. It doesn’t discriminate against anyone. The pro-life position is that every human being, regardless of their race, sex, country of origin, age, current abilities, health, length of life, or anything else, deserves to be equally protected from violence and bodily harm.
The pro-choice view cannot say the same thing in practice. Based on the pro-choice view and how it plays out in the real world, human beings only have basic rights when they are in a certain location and are not inside a woman’s body; their rights are even more tenuous if they are a certain age, can’t do certain things, are disabled, or sick.
Abortion is said to be a compassionate option for preborn children with fetal anomalies. Many women choose abortion because they don’t want their child to suffer. We should acknowledge and commend this desire. Even as we sympathize and support families whose children won’t live very long after birth, we must stand our ground in the midst of the tears, pain, emotional trauma, and heart-breaking stories. Violence towards a human is not the solution when a baby only has a short time to live.
What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of laws do we want to advocate for? Do we really want to live in a world where we kill the most vulnerable members of society because they are sick and won’t live very long? What does that say about us if we do?
If you know a family who has received a poor prenatal diagnosis and needs support, visit prenataldiagnosis.org. This organization provides support for families dealing with difficult prenatal diagnoses. You are not alone.
Rebekah is a Training Specialist with Justice For All. You can follow her work at jfaweb.org/rebekah-dyer
The Hard Cases: “They are going to die anyways.”
Rebekah Dyer
The People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International and RealOptions
NEW REGISTRY: Mama Suffered Spinal Cord Injury & Needs Help
Abortion Laws, Definitions, and Exceptions in all 50 States
Saving Babies, One Letter at a Time: Discover Letters of Hope
Avery Becomes 83rd Sanctuary City for the Unborn
Imagine having a baby, cradling her little body in your arms and watching her die as you hold her. You thought and hoped you would get to see her smile, grow up, make friends, go to school, and enjoy the beautiful things in this life. Instead, you only had a couple hours. A couple hours to watch her struggle to breathe and then you had to feel her life leave her little body.
Some people experience things that cause so much emotional damage. Some people’s experiences cause wounds that are so deep they never heal in this life. I imagine that having to watch your own baby die would do this sort of damage. I think it would do that to me.
Fetal anomalies have been in the news lately with states passing laws and restrictions around abortion. While some states that ban abortion have an exception if there is a diagnosed fetal anomaly, others like Texas do not.
Leah Savas of World Magazine reports that “Of the 17 states with laws currently in effect that protect unborn babies from abortion at around six weeks of gestation or starting at conception, about one-third allow for abortions on babies who receive a diagnosis of what the laws often refer to as ‘lethal’ fetal anomalies.”
Texas recently upheld its abortion ban when a lawsuit was filed against it by 20 women who were seeking to clarify the law and allow abortions in the case of fetal anomalies. Texas denied the request to include fetal anomaly as a reason for abortion, but it did provide further clarity regarding the life of the mother exception.
Samantha Casiano, one of the plaintiffs in the case against Texas, whose preborn child was diagnosed with anencephaly, said this about the ruling and her situation:
“I was told my baby would not survive, but I was forced to continue my pregnancy and give birth anyway, then watch her pass away hours later…I don’t know how the court could hear what I went through and choose to do nothing … I am embarrassed to be a Texan because of these inhumane laws.”
Contrast Casiano’s response to her situation with that of Kathryn Kerr, whose daughter was diagnosed with Trisomy 18. She was able to spend time with her daughter before she died. Even though she had to experience the grief of losing her daughter like Casiano, Kerr said it was worth it. “You get to hold your baby, you get to see their features. You get to see if they have mom’s eyes or dad’s ears. You get to enjoy time with them, no matter what the situation is.”
As we stand strong in our defense of human life regardless of how long someone lives, our response to these situations should be measured, sensitive, and full of compassion for the emotionally gut-wrenching experiences families go through when they get these diagnoses and have to watch their baby die. When we have conversations about abortion, we can be walking with someone into a place that is full of so much pain and heartache.
There is a monumental difference between killing one’s own child (or hiring someone else to do it) and allowing a child to die naturally in the loving arms of their mother or father.
Don’t forget how abortions are performed. The human inside the womb is starved to death, poisoned, dismembered, and/or given a shot to induce a heart attack so her dead body can be delivered. We are supposed to believe that doing this to a disabled human is “compassion” and those who advocate against it are the “bad guys”? The laws that allow preborn humans to be killed like this are inhumane, not the people trying to protect them.
To clear away the political and linguistic fog that covers these situations, imagine the women who brought the case against Texas were asking that the law be clear that women have the right to kill their born children who have disabilities and may not live very long. What if they were asking for the right to take their born disabled baby into a clinic so a “doctor” could kill them?
Usually when these kinds of questions are asked the immediate response is that it’s “different” because the human isn’t born yet and is still in the mother’s body. Yet the description of abortion above is what is happening. The human we are talking about is just younger, living in the womb, dependent on the woman’s body, and cannot be held in her mother’s arms yet.
This is the constant and prevalent challenge pro-lifers face. The pro-choice side frames these kinds of stories coming out of places like Texas with the assumption that humans in the womb are not equal to born humans. They point out the differences between the preborn and the rest of us and then use those differences to justify their deaths. It is often assumed that because they are not born yet, they do not deserve the same equal protection from violence that we do. It’s a wrong and dangerous assumption to make.
The pro-life position is one of true equality for all. It doesn’t discriminate against anyone. The pro-life position is that every human being, regardless of their race, sex, country of origin, age, current abilities, health, length of life, or anything else, deserves to be equally protected from violence and bodily harm.
The pro-choice view cannot say the same thing in practice. Based on the pro-choice view and how it plays out in the real world, human beings only have basic rights when they are in a certain location and are not inside a woman’s body; their rights are even more tenuous if they are a certain age, can’t do certain things, are disabled, or sick.
Abortion is said to be a compassionate option for preborn children with fetal anomalies. Many women choose abortion because they don’t want their child to suffer. We should acknowledge and commend this desire. Even as we sympathize and support families whose children won’t live very long after birth, we must stand our ground in the midst of the tears, pain, emotional trauma, and heart-breaking stories. Violence towards a human is not the solution when a baby only has a short time to live.
What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of laws do we want to advocate for? Do we really want to live in a world where we kill the most vulnerable members of society because they are sick and won’t live very long? What does that say about us if we do?
If you know a family who has received a poor prenatal diagnosis and needs support, visit prenataldiagnosis.org. This organization provides support for families dealing with difficult prenatal diagnoses. You are not alone.
Rebekah Dyer
Rebekah is a Training Specialist with Justice For All. You can follow her work at jfaweb.org/rebekah-dyer
The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Human Defense Initiative.
Rebekah Dyer
COMMENTARY
NATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
The People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International and RealOptions
NEW REGISTRY: Mama Suffered Spinal Cord Injury & Needs Help
Abortion Laws, Definitions, and Exceptions in all 50 States
Saving Babies, One Letter at a Time: Discover Letters of Hope
Avery Becomes 83rd Sanctuary City for the Unborn
Why is prescribing abortion pills an exception to established medical practice? Welcome to shield laws