She won't live.
She won't be healthy.
You could both die.
She could have Down Syndrome.
You must have an abortion.
These are all of the lies my mother was told when she was pregnant with me. There were probably more, these are just the ones that I personally know of. I was born a tiny baby, premature and fighting for my little life. My mother lay in a hospital bed, fighting for her own, vomiting and sick as could be. She was in pain. I was probably in pain, as well. I was in the NICU for quite awhile while nurses stood over me. I didn't have Down Syndrome. The first lie was cleared up. Despite everything, I was as healthy as I could possibly be given the circumstances.
My mother didn't have the support of a husband, my father is a dead-beat drug addict. My mother tried to help him, tried so hard. I was the last piece of hope for him. Everyone thought I would be the one to turn him around. It didn't work. My aunt helped take care of me while mom was in the hospital and I was able to be taken home.
I lived. The second lie was cleared up.
It's funny. Out of her four children, I turned out to be the healthiest. The one that grew the fastest, the one that horseback rides, plays sports, is active. I don't have down syndrome, although nothing would change if I did, I lived. I'm still living! I'm healthy, despite my anxiety problems. My mother is still living, in fact, she's sitting next to me, talking to my adopted brother David who was a drug addicted baby, who died after his mother gave birth and was brought back minutes later, thank God.
She didn't have an abortion, she didn't need to. We both lived. We're both healthy.
She lost over 20 pounds during her pregnancy. She had to clog the doors with towels because if she smelt anything, she would puke. But for some reason, she hung onto the thought of life. A life that wasn't hers to take.
She listened to the song "God must've spent a little more time on you" by Alabama throughout her pregnancy and still, when she listens to it, she cries.
Life is truly more precious than any diamond or pearl.
Fight for life. It's worth it.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
I found this update on the "sewage baby" on Lifesitenews. I did NOT write the following article.
Co-authored with Ben Johnson
MONTREAL, June 21, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Police in Montreal are looking for the mother of a small baby whose body was discovered in a solid-waste tank in a waste treatment plant just north of the city. They say the baby was likely flushed down the toilet.
The shocking discovery comes just weeks after the world was transfixed by video footage of Chinese workers laboring to remove a baby from a sewage pipe after her single mother flushed her down a toilet, something police said was an "accident." The baby girl has been released from the hospital in her grandparents' care.
Employees "were shocked, they were surprised, they were floored by this, obviously,” said Montreal Sgt. Gino Pare about the latest case. “They stopped their work right away and called the police."
Police say they want the woman to seek treatment, but added that
charges may be possible, depending on the results of an autopsy, reports
Sun News.
"We have to see among other things, if [the child] was viable or not," said Sgt. Gino Pare. "For now, what's important for now is mainly to find the mother to give her help. She's really someone who needs help."
There been a rash of other similar cases in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, 27-year-old Shavaughn Robison was charged after police say she gave birth to a baby in a toilet, then put the newborn in a trash bag and threw her in a dumpster.
In May, 19-year-old Cherlie Lafleur gave birth to a baby in the ladies' restroom at McCaskey East High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and then allegedly abandoned the child in the trash can. The baby was between 27 and 29 weeks gestation.
Some abortion providers actually advise young women to flush their babies down the toilet. In April, an undercover investigator with Live Action filmed a counselor at Dr. Emily’s Women’s Health Center in the Bronx telling her, “If it comes out, then it comes out. Flush it if anything, you know, put it in a bag or something or somewhere and bring it to us.”
Such births also take place inside abortion facilities.
Kareema Cross testified that a baby born in a toilet tried to swim out at Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Women's Medical Society in West Philadelphia. Gosnell was convicted in the murder of “Baby D,” as well as two others.
In 2011, abortionist James Pendergraft admitted he sometimes allowed babies to be born alive and then die while “wiggling around in the toilet.”
Co-authored with Ben Johnson
MONTREAL, June 21, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Police in Montreal are looking for the mother of a small baby whose body was discovered in a solid-waste tank in a waste treatment plant just north of the city. They say the baby was likely flushed down the toilet.
The shocking discovery comes just weeks after the world was transfixed by video footage of Chinese workers laboring to remove a baby from a sewage pipe after her single mother flushed her down a toilet, something police said was an "accident." The baby girl has been released from the hospital in her grandparents' care.
Employees "were shocked, they were surprised, they were floored by this, obviously,” said Montreal Sgt. Gino Pare about the latest case. “They stopped their work right away and called the police."
This baby was rescued from a sewage pipe in China recently.
"We have to see among other things, if [the child] was viable or not," said Sgt. Gino Pare. "For now, what's important for now is mainly to find the mother to give her help. She's really someone who needs help."
There been a rash of other similar cases in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, 27-year-old Shavaughn Robison was charged after police say she gave birth to a baby in a toilet, then put the newborn in a trash bag and threw her in a dumpster.
In May, 19-year-old Cherlie Lafleur gave birth to a baby in the ladies' restroom at McCaskey East High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and then allegedly abandoned the child in the trash can. The baby was between 27 and 29 weeks gestation.
Some abortion providers actually advise young women to flush their babies down the toilet. In April, an undercover investigator with Live Action filmed a counselor at Dr. Emily’s Women’s Health Center in the Bronx telling her, “If it comes out, then it comes out. Flush it if anything, you know, put it in a bag or something or somewhere and bring it to us.”
Such births also take place inside abortion facilities.
Kareema Cross testified that a baby born in a toilet tried to swim out at Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Women's Medical Society in West Philadelphia. Gosnell was convicted in the murder of “Baby D,” as well as two others.
In 2011, abortionist James Pendergraft admitted he sometimes allowed babies to be born alive and then die while “wiggling around in the toilet.”
As she lay dying.
June 24, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – According to police, a 17-year-old mother died following a forced abortion last Thursday in India.
The minor, who has only been identified as “Anjani,” became pregnant shortly after having eloped with a man police call Babulal. They say the man did not want a child and forced the girl to have an abortion last Wednesday.
After she began displaying physical distress symptoms, authorities say
Babulal tried to leave his bride with her parents, who refused to take
her in. The following day, he left her at a medical college, where she
died.
Police say he fled the hospital as she lay dying and remains at large.
After she began displaying physical distress symptoms, authorities say Babulal tried to leave his bride with her parents, who refused to take her in. The following day, he left her at a medical college, where she died.
Police say he fled the hospital as she lay dying and remains at large.
The victim was reportedly the daughter of Lt. Vikram from Maharajganj, Guleria.
The minor, who has only been identified as “Anjani,” became pregnant shortly after having eloped with a man police call Babulal. They say the man did not want a child and forced the girl to have an abortion last Wednesday.
Police say he fled the hospital as she lay dying and remains at large.
After she began displaying physical distress symptoms, authorities say Babulal tried to leave his bride with her parents, who refused to take her in. The following day, he left her at a medical college, where she died.
Police say he fled the hospital as she lay dying and remains at large.
The victim was reportedly the daughter of Lt. Vikram from Maharajganj, Guleria.
Down Syndrome is not a reason for murder.
June 24, 2013 (Live Action News)
- The day I was told that my unborn son had Down syndrome was the day
my entire world changed. In some ways, it was shattered. Everything I
thought I knew about what I could expect from my life, my ideas about
the kind of mother I was and could be, the hopes and dreams I had for my
children…with one phone call, they were all erased. I was a mess,
crying on the phone to my mom and my best friend, trying to understand
why this had happened, or how, and what I was supposed to do now.
I found out about Wyatt’s extra chromosome when I was about 15 weeks pregnant. I never considered aborting my son. And knowing before he was born gave me the blessing of time: time to accept his diagnosis, to prepare myself for it, and to learn everything I needed to know.
I look back on those weeks after receiving that earth-shattering phone
call and feel such a mix of different emotions. I didn’t know then that
while my world may have been shattered, it was rebuilt again to be so
much bigger, and stronger, and better. It’s as if, before knowing about
Wyatt, my world was small and narrow and closed. Now, it’s bright and
open and endless, and I wish I could go back and tell myself what it was
going to be like.
With the rise of more and more advanced prenatal testing, fears about abortion rates of babies with Down syndrome rising have become louder and louder. Everyone seems to want to blame the testing, when the reality is that it is our attitudes that need to change. Whether a mother finds out prenatally or at birth, the diagnosis is overwhelmingly given as a negative, with worst-case scenarios, grim views of what to expect of her child’s life, and outdated, stereotypical medical information. Medical advances for people with Down syndrome have made their life expectancy rates soar, and the opportunities they have are almost endless.
But parents aren’t told that. They’re given the doom-and-gloom, and we wonder why so many are afraid that their lives will be ruined if they keep their baby. Many women who receive a prenatal diagnosis are given immense pressure to have an abortion. If we want to know whom or what to blame for the high abortion rate of babies with Down syndrome, all we need to do is look in the mirror (and this is especially true for many of the doctors out there).
A new parent of a baby with Down syndrome is going to be scared, confused, worried, and grieving. The last thing he or she needs is to have someone falsely reinforcing those fears and worries. So whether you’re a doctor or someone whose friend just received a diagnosis, these are the things that this new parent needs to hear.
1. You will be happy again.
I know right now this seems like the end of the world. And there will be challenges along the way (just like with any child). But the good news is, almost all families who have a member with Down syndrome report being happier and more positive than they were without him or her. People with Down syndrome themselves are overwhelmingly happy with themselves, their lives, and how they look. It doesn’t feel like it, but you will be happy again.
2. They’re still just babies.
I was so scared and confused when I found out that Wyatt had Down syndrome. I had never even metsomeone with Down syndrome – how the heck was I supposed to raise a baby with it? But the good news is that having a baby with Down syndrome is nearly identical to having a baby without it. Having a baby with Down syndrome means that you’ll have lots of sleepless nights, crying, poopy diapers, and maybe the occasional spit-up. You’ll also have snuggles, cute little gummy smiles, and that great feeling when they hold your hand. Down syndrome doesn’t mean you’ve somehow given birth to a three-headed space alien which needs some kind of insane level of care. He’s still just a baby. Feed him, love him, and snuggle him. That’s all you have to do. And that’s not that difficult, is it?
3. You can still do regular things.
Not long after I had given birth to Wyatt, I remember seeing somewhere a woman saying she could never have a baby with Down syndrome, because she wanted to be able to do things like go to the beach, and take her kids to Disney World. Huh? I don’t know what misconceptions of Down syndrome would lead someone to think they’ll suddenly be house-ridden, but you can still do regular things with your family. You can go to the beach, or to theme parks, or anything else you decide you want to do. We take Wyatt everywhere — to the aquarium, out to eat, to the beach. Babies with Down syndrome are just babies, and when they become kids, they’re still just kids. They’ll love seeing Mickey Mouse at Disney World as much as any other kid will, and they’ll love making a mess at the beach, too. You won’t suddenly become limited because your kid has an extra chromosome.
4. There will be virtually no limits to what they can accomplish.
When you picture an adult with Down syndrome, it’s easy to imagine someone working in a grocery store, living with his parents forever, and never having any kind of meaningful life. But people with Down syndrome today can do almost anything. There’s a man named Tim Harris in New Mexico who has Down syndrome – he graduated from college and now owns his own restaurant. A teenager with Down syndrome was recently inducted into his high school’s National Honor Society. Karen Gaffney is an adult with Down syndrome, and a swimmer who has swum the English Channel, across Lake Tahoe, the Boston Harbor, and the San Francisco Bay. She also completed the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Another teenager with Down syndrome has climbed Mount Everest. There are also children with Down syndrome being featured as models (for companies like Target and Care.com), and adults who are actors (the most notable example being Lauren Potter, who stars on Glee). It may seem hopeless, but there will be no limits to what your child with Down syndrome can accomplish.
5. They will be loved.
It may seem obvious, because of course you’re going to love him – he’s your baby, after all. But what may surprise you is how many other people will love him, too. And he will change so many people’s lives. Wyatt is loved by just about everyone who meets him – probably because he is the biggest people person I’ve ever met, and has a big smile for anyone who smiles at him. Your child will be changing perceptions every day, winning over people’s hearts, and finding love everywhere he goes. Of course you’ll love him, because he’s your child. But he’s going to be loved by everyone else he meets, too.
This article originally appeared on Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.
I found out about Wyatt’s extra chromosome when I was about 15 weeks pregnant. I never considered aborting my son. And knowing before he was born gave me the blessing of time: time to accept his diagnosis, to prepare myself for it, and to learn everything I needed to know.
With the rise of more and more advanced prenatal testing, fears about abortion rates of babies with Down syndrome rising have become louder and louder. Everyone seems to want to blame the testing, when the reality is that it is our attitudes that need to change. Whether a mother finds out prenatally or at birth, the diagnosis is overwhelmingly given as a negative, with worst-case scenarios, grim views of what to expect of her child’s life, and outdated, stereotypical medical information. Medical advances for people with Down syndrome have made their life expectancy rates soar, and the opportunities they have are almost endless.
But parents aren’t told that. They’re given the doom-and-gloom, and we wonder why so many are afraid that their lives will be ruined if they keep their baby. Many women who receive a prenatal diagnosis are given immense pressure to have an abortion. If we want to know whom or what to blame for the high abortion rate of babies with Down syndrome, all we need to do is look in the mirror (and this is especially true for many of the doctors out there).
A new parent of a baby with Down syndrome is going to be scared, confused, worried, and grieving. The last thing he or she needs is to have someone falsely reinforcing those fears and worries. So whether you’re a doctor or someone whose friend just received a diagnosis, these are the things that this new parent needs to hear.
1. You will be happy again.
I know right now this seems like the end of the world. And there will be challenges along the way (just like with any child). But the good news is, almost all families who have a member with Down syndrome report being happier and more positive than they were without him or her. People with Down syndrome themselves are overwhelmingly happy with themselves, their lives, and how they look. It doesn’t feel like it, but you will be happy again.
2. They’re still just babies.
I was so scared and confused when I found out that Wyatt had Down syndrome. I had never even metsomeone with Down syndrome – how the heck was I supposed to raise a baby with it? But the good news is that having a baby with Down syndrome is nearly identical to having a baby without it. Having a baby with Down syndrome means that you’ll have lots of sleepless nights, crying, poopy diapers, and maybe the occasional spit-up. You’ll also have snuggles, cute little gummy smiles, and that great feeling when they hold your hand. Down syndrome doesn’t mean you’ve somehow given birth to a three-headed space alien which needs some kind of insane level of care. He’s still just a baby. Feed him, love him, and snuggle him. That’s all you have to do. And that’s not that difficult, is it?
3. You can still do regular things.
Not long after I had given birth to Wyatt, I remember seeing somewhere a woman saying she could never have a baby with Down syndrome, because she wanted to be able to do things like go to the beach, and take her kids to Disney World. Huh? I don’t know what misconceptions of Down syndrome would lead someone to think they’ll suddenly be house-ridden, but you can still do regular things with your family. You can go to the beach, or to theme parks, or anything else you decide you want to do. We take Wyatt everywhere — to the aquarium, out to eat, to the beach. Babies with Down syndrome are just babies, and when they become kids, they’re still just kids. They’ll love seeing Mickey Mouse at Disney World as much as any other kid will, and they’ll love making a mess at the beach, too. You won’t suddenly become limited because your kid has an extra chromosome.
4. There will be virtually no limits to what they can accomplish.
When you picture an adult with Down syndrome, it’s easy to imagine someone working in a grocery store, living with his parents forever, and never having any kind of meaningful life. But people with Down syndrome today can do almost anything. There’s a man named Tim Harris in New Mexico who has Down syndrome – he graduated from college and now owns his own restaurant. A teenager with Down syndrome was recently inducted into his high school’s National Honor Society. Karen Gaffney is an adult with Down syndrome, and a swimmer who has swum the English Channel, across Lake Tahoe, the Boston Harbor, and the San Francisco Bay. She also completed the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Another teenager with Down syndrome has climbed Mount Everest. There are also children with Down syndrome being featured as models (for companies like Target and Care.com), and adults who are actors (the most notable example being Lauren Potter, who stars on Glee). It may seem hopeless, but there will be no limits to what your child with Down syndrome can accomplish.
5. They will be loved.
It may seem obvious, because of course you’re going to love him – he’s your baby, after all. But what may surprise you is how many other people will love him, too. And he will change so many people’s lives. Wyatt is loved by just about everyone who meets him – probably because he is the biggest people person I’ve ever met, and has a big smile for anyone who smiles at him. Your child will be changing perceptions every day, winning over people’s hearts, and finding love everywhere he goes. Of course you’ll love him, because he’s your child. But he’s going to be loved by everyone else he meets, too.
This article originally appeared on Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Roe V Wade
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 16, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Norma
McCorvey, the former Jane Roe of the infamous Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court case that ushered in an era of unlimited
abortions, has just finished making her first-ever television
commercial. McCorvey, who became pro-life over a decade ago, hopes
the commercial will change hearts and minds on abortion.
In the new commercial, produced by the pro-life firm VirtueMedia, McCorvey speaks out against abortion and denounces the limited role she had in the high court case.
She talks about the way activist lawyers used her divorce case to promote their pro-abortion agenda.
"Back in 1973, I was a very confused twenty-one year old with one child and facing an unplanned pregnancy," she explains in the ad. "At the time I fought to obtain a legal abortion, but truth be told, I have three daughters and never had an abortion."
After a Christian conversion in 1995, McCorvey began making her newfound pro-life views known.
"Upon knowing God, I realized that my case which legalized abortion on demand, was the biggest mistake of my life," she said.
McCorvey concludes the public service announcement-style message saying, "You read about me in history books, but now I am dedicated to spreading the truth about preserving the dignity of all human life from natural conception to natural death.”
Leading pro-life attorney Allan Sears, the head of the Alliance Defense Fund, told LifeNews.com he’s excited by the potential of the commercial to make an impact on the abortion debate.
"Norma McCorvey’s testimony is an incredible example of God’s redeeming grace," he said. "I commend Norma for her courage to speak out on the evils of abortion and pray that her redemptive story will touch hearts and change minds.”
VirtueMedia, a nonprofit media organization founded in 1998 by Tom Peterson, produced the McCorvey ad spot.
Their creative ads are licensed to Right to Life groups, and have aired across North America and foreign countries in both English and Spanish.
LifeNews.com Editor
June 16, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Norma
McCorvey, the former Jane Roe of the infamous Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court case that ushered in an era of unlimited
abortions, has just finished making her first-ever television
commercial. McCorvey, who became pro-life over a decade ago, hopes
the commercial will change hearts and minds on abortion.In the new commercial, produced by the pro-life firm VirtueMedia, McCorvey speaks out against abortion and denounces the limited role she had in the high court case.
She talks about the way activist lawyers used her divorce case to promote their pro-abortion agenda.
"Back in 1973, I was a very confused twenty-one year old with one child and facing an unplanned pregnancy," she explains in the ad. "At the time I fought to obtain a legal abortion, but truth be told, I have three daughters and never had an abortion."
After a Christian conversion in 1995, McCorvey began making her newfound pro-life views known.
"Upon knowing God, I realized that my case which legalized abortion on demand, was the biggest mistake of my life," she said.
McCorvey concludes the public service announcement-style message saying, "You read about me in history books, but now I am dedicated to spreading the truth about preserving the dignity of all human life from natural conception to natural death.”
Leading pro-life attorney Allan Sears, the head of the Alliance Defense Fund, told LifeNews.com he’s excited by the potential of the commercial to make an impact on the abortion debate.
"Norma McCorvey’s testimony is an incredible example of God’s redeeming grace," he said. "I commend Norma for her courage to speak out on the evils of abortion and pray that her redemptive story will touch hearts and change minds.”
VirtueMedia, a nonprofit media organization founded in 1998 by Tom Peterson, produced the McCorvey ad spot.
Their creative ads are licensed to Right to Life groups, and have aired across North America and foreign countries in both English and Spanish.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
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