Every life is precious, and deserves the chance to live.
This is the clear and concise belief the pro-life movement, and everyone who participates in the pro-life movement.
In the pro-life movement, we constantly hear stories of girls who “aren’t ready to have a baby”, and women who “don’t have the resources to raise a child”.
But, there is another silent population that we rarely hear about – even in the pro-life movement.
Every day in America and throughout the world, babies that are diagnosed with fetal abnormalities in the womb, and many of those children are put to death – by abortion. Some of these unborn children have Down syndrome, others have Anencephaly or Potter’s Syndrome. But, we rarely hear these stories.
My first encounter with a unborn child diagnosed with a fetal abnormality, was when a friend from college found out that her child would probably not survive long after birth and/or would be stillborn. I remember the heart-breaking pain I felt when I heard the news, and I can’t even imagine what she went through – especially since it was her first and she was excited to welcome this baby with such joy.
Because my friend was vehemently pro-life, she carried the baby to term. And astoundingly, after months of thinking her baby would be stillborn, her little boy was born – alive and utterly perfect in every way.
This story as a whole shook my world. First my friend didn’t think her baby would survive – then he did and was completely fine. Imagine if she had chose to abort her baby? And how many other women in that situation would have chosen abortion?
How many little lives are lost because someone won’t even give them the chance to live?
In Ireland, there is a new push to legalize abortion in situations where a baby is diagnosed prenatally with a fetal abnormality. As many of you know, they legalized abortion last summer “when a woman’s life is in danger.” While I would argue that abortion is never medically necessary, I’ll save that discussion for another time.
Although Ireland has been untouched by abortion for some time, until recently, Irish women were being encouraged to travel to England, especially if there was a fetal abnormality. Now, there is a battle heating up to bring abortion into Ireland, in circumstance of prenatal fetal abnormality diagnosis.
When will the attack on innocent children stop? When I read this news about Ireland, I thought back to my friend who could have chosen abortion, but thankfully chose life – for her beautifully, healthy baby boy.
In response to the push for abortion in Ireland, a group called Every Life Counts was established to tell the beautiful stories of women who chose life for their babies, even if their child wouldn’t live long.
(Spoiler alert: These videos and stories will make you cry.)
The stories are so beautiful and powerful. These women who knew that their child might not live long, but who chose to give their child a chance and love them with every ounce of their being for as little or as long as they had them.
Every Life Counts also offers counseling and support for women who find out that their unborn child has a fetal abnormality and are in need of help and guidance.
There is a group in America that is doing similar work and striving to protect mothers and their children, here at home. This group is called Isaiah’s Promise.
This group, based in Maryland, offers support for families that are carrying their child to term, after receiving a severe or fatal prenatal diagnosis. They counsel the families, offer support at the hospital, make baby blankets and little gowns for the children, and so much more.
Isaiah’s Promise and Every Life Counts are telling the stories of these little children, and their families – the families who loved them into existence and who treasured every moment of life they had with them. And they are offering support to the families who are in need of guidance, and working to protect every child inside and outside of the womb.
These are the stories that we don’t hear in the pro-life movement, or anywhere else in the world. These precious and innocent children need to be protected and they need to be given the opportunity to live.
Please support the efforts of these two amazing groups — and please be a voice for these children. Every life is precious and deserves to be protected.
Note: Isaiah’s Promise has an amazing video up on their homepage, that we could not upload onto this blog. It’s really powerful, so don’t miss it.