'Clump of cells' makes a baby-size impression in a broken heart

The Free Lance-Star ^ | 1/29/03 | JENNIFER PETITT

[madprof98]

IN RESPONSE to Leonard Peikoff's Jan. 22 commentary ["Abortion foes aren't 'pro-life': They'd ruin a real life to save tissue"], I would first like to thank him for giving me an opportunity to argue a point I once believed and now see as a sham.

In high school, I, too, uttered words similar to "a clump of cells" when referring to an embryo or fetus during hot debates over abortion at the lunch table. In college, I intellectually defended the right to abortion by explaining that an embryo or fetus is not really a baby but merely a potential life.

Then I got married and had my first son. He came six weeks early. He was strong and healthy despite his prematurity, and so I did start to feel uncomfortable about what was being aborted at the end of the second trimester. However, in first-term abortions, the issue of viability remained my defense of the procedure.

A year after the birth of our son, my husband and I wanted very much to add another baby to our family. I discovered I was pregnant the first week in February and we were thrilled. Unfortunately, I noticed problems a couple of weeks later. At the end of February, I went to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for an exam. I reported my symptoms and an ultrasound was performed.

The baby was there. It looked fine. Its heart was beating. I saw it. I got a picture.

Three days later I miscarried.

I went to DeWitt Hospital at Fort Belvoir this time, and medical personnel performed another ultrasound. It was gone. I saw it. I was empty.

In the days that followed I realized the utter ridiculousness of the "potential life" argument. What I saw on the ultrasound at Bethesda was no more a potential life than what I saw come out of my body was a potential death. Quite simply, what was once alive was now dead. Not potentially dead, not almost dead, not "not quite alive anymore"--but dead.

It follows that if you have "potential life," you must then have "potential death." But what is that? Someone in a coma? Someone who is brain dead? That's not dead. Ask the family who has to make the decision to "pull the plug." Ask the coroner.

On the last Wednesday of February 1998, the embryo, the being, the "clump of cells" inside me was alive. On the last Saturday of February 1998, it was dead. And it really is as simple as that.

The true argument is not when life begins. It begins at conception. You can candy-coat it with rationalizations of viability if it makes you feel better, but face it--what you really want to argue is this: Does a pregnant woman have a right in America to kill her unborn child?

In our country we do not allow mothers to kill their babies once they are born. But while the child is inside of her, that option is available to her and will continue to be under the guise of sacrificing a mere "potential life."

By the way, at the time of my miscarriage I was 71/2 weeks pregnant. I still have a hole in my heart the size of that clump of cells. And I still have that ultrasound picture.

JENNIFER PETITT lives in Spotsylvania County.

Date published: 1/29/2003

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[TxBec]

"Bookmark and pass it on" bump.

[Tax-chick]

Damn right!

Whenever I speak about abortion, the walking wounded come out of the woodwork like ghosts, whispering, "Me, too ... me, too. God forgive me!" Women you would never expect; successful career women, mothers of many ... all still in pain.

The pro-aborts are killing women's souls every day. God forgive them, they know not what they do. I say it in faith, not with feeling. I hate them. God forgive me!

[AnnaZ]

An awesome letter and testimony. BUMPTTT!

[Siobhan]

Awesome indeed. BUMP!

[OldFriend]

No two ways about it......ABORTION STOPS A BEATING HEART

[20yearvet]

I agree with you, My wife and I have 4 wonderfull children, But We also lost one threw miscarage. We do not talke a lot about the little girl we lost, but we remember, and on our 25th anaversery I gave my dear wife a ring with a stone for each of our children, the ring had 5 stones. They are life, and you never know how long you will have them. but we remember them all.

[Polycarp]

Pro-life PING!

[pops88]

Bump

[EODGUY]

We received our weekly Washington Times today and the front page included an article about 800 women who recently discussed publicly the regret they feel for having had an abortion.

I don't think I saw any mention of this important, heartfelt testimony in the major media. I've always contended this is the terrible secret the pro-death advocates want kept from public view.

God bless you,

EODGUY

[cricket]

Beautiful, painful. . .bump. . .

[Tax-chick]

Thank you! It's 1/3, or 1/4, or 3/5 of the women you meet every day. I talked to my (9th grade) Sunday School class recently, and told them flat out: Maybe it's your mothers; maybe it's some of you, already ... God's mercy is infinite!

[LiteKeeper]

bump

[reformed_dem]

...an embryo or fetus is not really a baby but merely a potential life.

This always gets me. If it's only a "potential life", then it could also be a potential something else. Perhaps a "potential piano" or a "potential elephant".

[victim soul]

What a beautiful 25th Anniversary gift.

Life for however long is a beautiful Choice!!

[sibb1213]

I was 36, my son was 13 months and I became pregnant. I went to an abortion clinic but the test was inconclusive. I'll never forget a phone call from my husband that day asking me if I knew what I was doing???? God decided for me, I had a miscarriage. We could not have more children and we both wanted more. I still feel the guilt and the emptiness and I'm 62.

[EODGUY]

I'm sure you know God has forgiven you long, long ago, but forgiving yourself is a much more difficult task. You sound like a very sincere, good person and I will pray that you find inner healing and tranquility.

God bless,

EODGUY

[Askel5]

Great post.

[Blue Collar Christian]

Good stuff.

I've had converstions with regretful mothers of aborted babies. Tears your heart out. So sad the pro-abortion people trick so many mothers into murder. Satan, the great deciever, laughs twice at his success here.

Just try to talk with an abortion pusher about this and see if you can finish a sentence.