Photo Insert 1
Why I Chose Life
❦
BY THE THIRD CHILD, you know what to expect. Or I thought I did as I lay on the ultrasound table enthralled by the images from my womb. “Looks like a baby girl,” said the technician, and thoughts of tiny pink dresses filled my head. She looked so strong—so perfect—that I could barely comprehend what the doctor said next.
“Your baby has a severe heart defect,” explained the doctor. “That, combined with all the other genetic abnormalities we can see through ultrasound, is a red flag for Down Syndrome. And in cases like these, we recommend termination.”
In an instant, the joy of watching my baby dance on the screen in front of me was replaced by fear. Every fear of the future, of the unknown, threatened to overtake me—and even worse, to end the life of my child. I was being forced to make a life or death decision.
I felt completely unprepared until my heart remembered what God’s Word says about the sanctity of human life. All babies are wonderfully and miraculously made in God’s image—regardless of any diagnosis or “defect” (see Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-14). Somehow, the Holy Spirit broke through the swirling emotions and steadied my will. I knew what I had to do.
“No,” I said. “We will not be aborting our baby.”
In a doctor’s office, in the dark of night . . . Jesus Christ is right beside us, giving us strength to say no to a culture of death. Every child is a gift from God.
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. PSALM 16:11