We were in the midst of our Wednesday night bible study when the call came in. My daughter, who just found out that she and our son-in-law were expecting their first child, was suffering in a lot of pain and was scared. We went to a local hospital into the emergency room. After a few hours, I went into the room to check on her. The initial news; the child is in the fallopian tube. My daughter was scared, crying, overwhelmed with what the doctor had been saying and in absolute need of grace and support. Her husband wasn't in much better shape. I knelt in prayer, they joined, and we sought God and asked for His counsel. The choice; attempt to allow the child to continue to grow and risk both or have the child's life ended and save mom's life.
We are not pro abortion. We are pro-life. We believe that life begins in the womb and that is a human child that is developing. We believe that life is a gift from God, it is a sacred gift. The taking of that life is never the preferred option.
This is not a letter, I repeat, not a letter, in which I am advocating for or suggesting that abortion be made illegal. The legality of abortion does not approach the heart of pro-life. Many drugs are illegal and that doesn't stop their use, sale or curb the degree to which the disease of addiction assaults mankind. Pornography on the other hand is legal and is one of the fastest growing addictions in our country. This is not about legality.
Nor should it be about mathematics.
As I sat with the kids as both pastor and dad/father-in-law, we talked about options, about the fact that we don't have all the facts yet and how scared of surgery my daughter is. We also spent time laughing about her fear of needles given her tattoo collection.
The issue to which this letter is addressed begins when the doctor comes in and we began asking a number of questions. The doctor tells us that the child is "not viable". We talk about my daughter getting admitted for the night to meet with the OBGYN in the morning. Then, here comes the heart of the matter, the doctor advises us that "the pregnancy needs to be 'resolved' soon." Resolved? Are you kidding me? This is a child, a human who is growing within a young woman. This is not a "solve for y" question.
Doctors, please, we who are Christians see these children as children. We don't have to physically see the child in our arms before we know that it is a child. This is called "faith". As you go through your cultural sensitivity training, please add in some Christian sensitivity training. Learn to understand that this is a life. We are making a choice between lives. In the end, we will have to go through a grieving process. The child already has a nickname. We will have a funeral, as Christians do. The family will have to travel through the stages of grief and healing. The funeral will be an integral part of our healing process. It is one of the many means by which we will express our grief over the loss of this little one. We will then continue to pray, seeking God's will in our lives and turn our face toward the future in hopes that they, my children, will be blessed with the gift of children themselves.
As you are putting your turkey into the oven this morning, please know that a young woman is facing the loss of her child. Please give thanks to God in the midst of this for her life and the life of her child even if it is a short life. We will. After all, I believe the bible is God's word. In it, He writes to us that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. So, we are giving Him thanks this morning. As I write this, I am still in prayer that God will spare both.
As I went to edit this sitting in the surgery waiting room, we received the news. It is not a tubal pregnancy. What the doctor saw on the ultrasound was a cyst. The baby is fine! God, we thank You.
The Reverend Frank R Lockwood 2nd
