Every life should be precious, not expendable

     October is marked as Respect Life month and with the current economy and a political administration known for an anti-life stance, the support for the culture of life is needed now more than ever.

     I had never before personally interacted with and witnessed a woman in the stages of pregnancy, or perhaps I had when I was younger and didn’t quite grasp the enormity of such an issue. However, last spring, a close friend of mine and her husband had been trying to get pregnant. I will never forget the joy and excitement that emanated from her face when she told me that was pregnant.

     As the trimesters passed, I listened and watched as the miracle of life grew forth inside of my friend. I was astonished by quickly her belly burgeoned and I will never forget my astonishment when I was able to hear a recording of her baby’s heartbeat. How quickly it beat! It sounded like a horse galloping at full speed!

     I watched as my friend and her husband began to prepare themselves and their way of life for their new child. But nothing could prepare them for the scare which they would experience when they found that their child potentially had the markers for Trisomy 18. I listened as my friend described the syndrome and heard her anguish when she admitted that she was scared of the future and of losing her child. It was then that I was struck with just how dependent a mother can be on her child—as well as the child’s dependency on its mother.

     I cannot imagine the amount of worry, stress and suffering that my friend and her husband went through as they waited for the next ultrasound and blood tests. I cannot imagine the emotions that they must have gone through as they thought about the fact that a life which they had brought into the world could quickly be taken from them. As parents they are responsible for protecting and enabling their child—how would their child’s death affect them?

     This is the question that many who choose abortions have to ask themselves. It is a forgotten question, as many often focus on the life of the child. Yet, the consequences on the parents, particularly the mother, are detrimental both physically and emotionally. Each year they will be reminded of the baby’s due date and even the baby’s death date.

     My friend and her husband successfully delivered a premature, healthy baby. I was able to go to the hospital and hold the baby girl’s tiny hand in my seemingly large hand. But most importantly, I’ve seen the excitement, happiness and relief surge across my friend’s face when she holds her baby in her arms. Reflecting back on her pregnancy, she continually reverts back to the anguish of the unknown and is thankful for the experience, which she considers a blessing. That time of unknowing prepared her for motherhood—it enabled her to realize that everything is in God’s hands, but also reminded her to be thankful for the life which she has brought into the world.

     This October, take time to be thankful for the choice that our parents made—to bring us into the world, to enable us, to nurture us and to love us. Pray for an end to abortion and for society to recognize the respect and dignity to all life.

     Heather Bozant can be reached at hbozant@clarionherald.org.