Posted on 09/16/2011 4:38:28 PM PDT by wagglebee
Meet Bernadette and Phil Smith. After giving birth to seven beautiful children, the gift of pregnancy became a natural and normal part of this couple’s life.
Just when they thought their family complete, an eighth child came as an unexpected surprise. Hearing the news, the Smiths eagerly looked forward to the wonderful opportunity of welcoming another precious little one into their family.
Then came some disturbing news. According to their doctor, there was a problem with the pregnancy and Bernadette would need to see a “specialist” to explore the specifics. But the information was vague, so Bernadette and Phil were unprepared for the possibility that this pregnancy was going to be very different.
After the specialist questioned them about their health, eating habits and family history, the Smiths received news that forever changed their world. Their little baby had Trisomy 18 (otherwise known as Edward’s Syndrome). It’s a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of a chromosome in a person’s DNA. Only half of babies diagnosed with the condition survive and have a very poor prognosis in life, so Bernadette’s “specialist” pressured them to pursue only one “choice” of action—abortion.
Cherishing the lives of each and every one of their children, Bernadette and Phil went through with the pregnancy. Their little one, whom they named Hannah, was born on June 19, 2007.
Four years later, Hannah’s story of overcoming health complications has shocked the former nurses and doctors who said the odds were stacked against her. Bernadette is now passionate about helping others face crisis pregnancies, and is even writing a book to tell about the experience of giving birth to Hannah.
The Smith family’s experience is just one example out of countless others that show many doctors think the initials MD after their name stand for “Medical Deity.” What Bernadette and Phil’s first doctor basically said was, “Since your baby might die, let’s kill her by abortion to make sure she dies.” Just stop and think of how barbaric this so-called “professional advice” is. They present intentional killing as a good and caring thing to do.
Not all doctors have betrayed the trust of their patients. There are lots of good physicians dedicated to healing and preserving life—I know many of them personally. But I can’t begin to tell you how many mothers and fathers have relayed similar advice by physicians like that given to Bernadette and Phil. This is why 90% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in the womb are aborted. What these so-called medical professionals ignore is that all life has been given by the Creator, and it’s wrong to intentionally take their lives.
Please join me in speaking up for them when you have the opportunity. More babies will die if we remain silent.
LifeNews.com Note: Bradley Mattes is the executive director of Life Issues Institute, a national pro-life educational group. Mattes is a veteran of the pro-life cause, with over 35 years of educational, political and humanitarian experience.
Perfectly stated!
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How many are aborted out of misguided compassion, and how many out of pure selfishness?
One day I was chatting with a facilities guy as we walked to another building and we chatted about his kids. He told me one of his young sons had Down's Syndrome.
I stopped and just looked at him. He looked at me and asked what the problem was, I said I could usually read people fairly well but the way he said that I couldn't tell how he felt.
He asked me if I'd ever known any Down's kids and I said yeah, a couple. He asked my impression of them, I said the ones I'd met were happy go lucky kinda folks and were a joy to be around. He just smiled and said "That's my boy."
That made my day.
Indeed.
When my wife was carrying my youngest, she came up with a positive test for Trisomy 18.
The very next day, I heard Rick Santorum talk about the baby he and his wife had lost shortly after it was born.
After hearing that, I knew we were ready for this challenge and my wife was as well.
Our daughter is perfectly healthy. The results were a false positive.
And how many would have been born without a trace of Downs if they had been allowed to go to term and be born? IOW, how many were murdered who would have actually been free of Downs or ANY OTHER problem?
God bless you and your family. That is an awesome story!
God bless you for hanging in there for your child. We never know what God is going to do with a life.
I think many abortions of babies with medical issues is misguided compassion. Libs have done a good job of brainwashing people to “do the right thing” and “noone would want to live like that” and have convinced many when it comes to choices about babies with issues, people with serious injuries, and elderly. I cannot believe how far to the dark side we have gone on these issues. It is truly sick.
There have also been numerous cases, where physicians did not diagnose the pregnancy correctly. When the baby was born, there was no birth defect. I am sure that testing for the most part is correct, but not always. God does not make mistakes. People do.
There have also been numerous cases, where physicians did not diagnose the birth defect correctly. When the baby was born, there was no birth defect. I am sure that testing for the most part is correct, but not always. God does not make mistakes. People do.
I spent the last four months of my pregnancy resisting heavy pressure to undergo dangerous tests, the results of which would not have changed anything for my baby, since there still exists no prenatal treatment for Downs Syndrome.
Was my “normal baby” just a lucky fluke? Was her healthy, normal birth a miracle? She is my miracle, but even had she been born with Downs, she would still have been a miracle to me, personally.
Setting aside my personal spiritual beliefs, I often wonder if I could have resisted the not very subtle medical and social pressure to abort, if I had faced the same situation a decade or more earlier, instead of as a mature 36 year old woman, who had endured five miscarriages.
About 40% of them.The test for downs only has a 60% reliably rate.
What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it.
God bless you and your wife!
We may never know if as a result of someone reading this thread a choice is made to continue a pregnancy that was in question, but it is certainly possible.
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