One rationalization used to defend partial birth abortion is that some unborn children, whom the procedure is used to kill, are serverly disabled and might not live long anyway. An example given was that of an unborn child with organs on the outside of the body.
Rev. Howard Edington, senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida, was stunned when he heard this because in his congregation a young couple, Whitney and Bruce Goin, had faced this circumstance but chose life for their child who is now a healthy one-year old boy named Andrew. When Whitney was five months pregnant, she was shown the ultra sound of her child with his organs outside his body, told there was a chance he would be born stillborn, if born alive he would require numerous surgeries with great stress on his lungs, and that partial-birth abortion was an option. But Whitney and Bruce decided to leave it in the Lord's hands whether the child's life was long or short. And so they brought their baby into the world.
Andrew fought hard for life, and with the help of dedicated and gifted doctors, the love and faith of his parents and the prayers of their congregation, he pulled through the long slow process of placing the organs inside his body. Whitney shared that they learned a great deal, experienced much love and were moved by Andrew's strong desire for life.
Last April, Rev. Edington had the joy of baptizing the bright, beautiful, happy Andrew into the Christian faith. Rev. Edington said he had to fight back the emotion overwhelming him when he throught of the struggle Whitney and Bruce went through for this child, their magnificent faith, and the happiness they now have.
In the same congregation, another couple, Eugenia and Joe Sefcik, also dealt with the difficult decision of birth for their daughter, Elizabeth, who had a severe chromosomal abnormality known as Trisome 18. Doctors did not give Eugenia and Joe much hope for a successful pregnancy. When informing them of their options, the doctor mentioned that this was the only disability for which the hospital did abortions.
The Sefciks, acting on their faith, decided to let the pregnancy take its course. They received open support for their decision from the doctors and nurses. Eugenia gave birth to Elizabeth last December. She took her home, they fed her with an eyedropper and took her everywhere with them. Elizabeth had a very short life of seven weeks, but she blessed the lives of her family and many others in this time. Pastor Edington once again had the joy of baptizing the child. Joe shared that others seemed amazed at the faith that enabled them to go through this painful time without being distraught. He said Elizabeth's birth and short life witnessed that this was not just a technical medical decision. It made the issue of life decisions more real for others. Eugenia tells people, "If I could replay this entire situation, I would do it again."
Both couples have since become interested in sharing with others the blessings of choosing life. Eugenia has been able to counsel other parents referred to her from Hospice or the geneticist at Arnold Palmer Hospital. "People want to talk to someone who kept their child" she said.
From UNITING FOR LIFE, A Christian Pro-Life Newsletter
(National Pro-Life Religious Council, Inc., 117 Derby Drive, Elverson, Pa 19520)