A very close friend of mine (and co-blogger on our blog
The Core4 has just put up a post about a harrowing decision he and his wife recently had to make regarding their pregnancy.
It is here (please leave him a word of encouragement): Life, or something like it.
To think that this pretender of a President might managae to get Roe v. Wade overturned sickens me.
If you just want to read the post, it is below the fold.
When does life begin? When does a soul, if such a thing exists, begin. I have recently come face to face with these very questions. My unborn son was found to have Down syndrome and my wife & I chose to terminate the pregnancy.
Terminate the pregnancy, a nice way to say `abortion'.
Named after John Langdon Down, the first physician to identify the syndrome, Down syndrome is the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate mental retardation and associated medical problems, including hypothyroidism, hearing loss, congenital heart disease, vision disorders and many others. Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder caused by an error in cell division that results in the presence of an additional third chromosome 21.
For as long as I can remember, I have believed in the theory of evolution - which is technically only a theory. I do believe we can improve ourselves as a species by improving the gene pool. (although there are a number of people we need to get out of the gene pool...don't say it...Brixton. Oops, I said it.) As far as the evolution is concerned, a child with Down syndrome doesn't advance us. The child would, most likely, need an incredible amount of care, care that we are not in a position to provide.
Our decision was right for us. We have no qualms at all. Given the same situation again, we'd make the same decision again. That being said, we decided to take a life. As the procedure began, I got one more view of who I then knew was my son. He looked like any other baby in the womb. I have always been pro-choice and I remain so. I know however, that it is not an easy choice nor should it be taken lightly.
It does raise the question of when life begins.