I personally call it "the big eraser". It is designed to wipe the slate clean
once a woman finds herself in the situation of becoming a mother. It is
suppose to erase all traces of what previously occurred to put her in that
situation, and it is suppose to be the permanent solution to correcting
what she perceives as a mistake. But does "the big eraser" really do its
job effectively? That is the question.
Time and time again I have heard of women who have used "the big
eraser" and time and time again I can hear the sadness ease out of the
excusing themselves from the responsibility of their would be motherhood.
I hear behind the reason they aborted their baby a hollowness, a question
mark, a regret. None of them were proud boasts, only sad boasts. They
had taken the easy way out using "the big eraser", but it had not brought
them the happiness they assumed it would. The tinge of regret ever
lingers, and the "what ifs" lie dormant in their souls.
My first intimation that an abortion took place in my surroundings
occurred when a friend of mine had flown to St. Louis to have
the operation performed. Her doctor sternly told her, "This is your
last time. Do not come back here. I will not do this again!" She flew
back to her suite, and about three days later the fetus aborted in the
toilet. A fowl odor reminding me of something dead oozed out
from her body. No soap, deodorant or perfume could hide it. No
one wanted to be around her.
She had evidently used "the big eraser" several times previously. Her
doctor was wise enough to know that her successive abortions might
take a toll on her ability to have other children in the future. Or it could
be that he was fed up with her getting herself in this condition. Whatever
the case, it resulted in a baby boy never being able to enter into this
world, live, and become a healthy, happy human being.
Who gets abortions? Women who believe their life will be on hold by
having a child, women who do not want children, women who feel they
cannot take care of a child, women who are career driven, women who
want to finish college, women whose husbands do not want children,
women who are afraid of the responsibility of being a mother, women
who try to protect a family image, women who want to outwardly
appear a role model, and then women who just could care less about
themselves, or the gift of life. Oh, I am sure there are women who have
none of the above reasons for aborting their babies, and I am sure
the list can go on and on, however, I ask, "Are these valid reasons?"
and are there alternatives to their decisions to undergo abortion?
Life is a precious gift from God. If a woman conceives, the child she
will bear is a precious gift. We know that in the natural world, some
children are never born due to miscarriages. The miscarriage, for
whatever reason it occurs, prevents the unborn from coming to full
term and living. Abortion, on the other hand is a deliberate attempt
to stop the natural process of conception and birth. It is my opinion
that there are times when abortion may be necessary, and that, I
feel is in cases where the doctor has notified the woman and her
family that the her life is in jeopardy should the pregnancy continue
on course.
Another case I was familiar with occurred when a young mother was
told that her twins would be born with a possible mental deficit. She
and her husband prayed and decided to continue with the pregnancy.
The twin boys were born looking wonderfully handsome and as normal
as most. The doctor said as the twins grew, she would see some delay
in their development. The couple rejoiced that they had made what
they believed was a good decision not to abort their twins.
In the case of rape, there are serious questions. Again, I personally
know of three people who were the product of rape. One of them
is a profound thinker and very attractive. The other turned out to be
a medical doctor when he grew up. The other is a soloist with an
outstanding voice that captures audiences. All three of their mothers
went on and bore the children after they had been raped, and all
three of the children have brought happiness to their families. Rape
is a hard issue to deal with, and certainly the decision to have a
child due to being rape is not an easy one.
From finding babies in garbage bags in dumpsters, to finding
babies abandoned and left for dead brings sadness to anyone who
has a heart. Adoption, allowing a childless couple to raise the baby,
allowing a relative to raise the unwanted child, or finding a friend
who is willing to raise the baby are some alternatives. Every day,
on any given day, a childless couple would gladly accept a baby
into their home to love. With so many alternatives, a prospective
mother can choose at least one of these.
When a child is unborn it cannot advocate for himself or herself.
We are the advocates. If the child could speak it would say loud
and clearly, "Let me live. Let me have a chance to show you how
much I can love you. Let me have a chance to grow up and
develop into someone who, one day, will make you proud. Let
me be the one to cherish you in your old age and take care of
you. Let me be all of these things and more to you."
We are advocates for the unborn. Let us listen, if we will, to what
they might say if they could. Then we, the advocates for the unborn,
will no longer need "the big eraser" to eradicate the future citizens of
our great society.
