The following was written by a Facebook friend of mine, a strong Catholic believer. This is not my story, but this is Heather's story. It may be the most important story I've read in a long time. With her permission, I share it here.
As my friend Allan said, "If you are celebrating the YES vote in Ireland, you are saying that my life doesn't matter..."
This is my story.
I was born on August 8th, two weeks before that, my Dad was murdered. At the time of my birth, my Mom was 15. She was forced to drop out of school to be able to work two jobs, in order to raise me. ( My grandparents helped her by taking care of me while she was working.) The timing of my conception was horrible. I was born into absolute chaos... but I was born. Not aborted.
My brother was born when my Mom was 17 almost 18, and he was a special needs baby. He didn't have a specific diagnosis, other than having fluid on his brain, and stones in his stomach. They just said he is developmentally delayed. He will be 28 this summer, in 2018, but he's mentally 14 or so. I think it's more than just the mental aspect, but doctors do not agree, he has had endless surgeries, and he almost died twice, once from the surgery as an infant, and once from a severe sinus infection that went to his brain in 2006...but he is here... yet, she knew something was going on when he was still in the womb. She knew the challenges that were about to come, and she was trying to care for a 1 1/2 year old... but he was born. Not aborted.
My sister was born in 1992. She was conceived as a twin, but my Mom had miscarried the boy. His name was Anthony. This was an early term miscarriage, but she still had my sister. At this time, she had a son that was in and out of the hospital, a daughter who was beginning kindergarten, and all the while, she was mourning a miscarriage ... but my sister was born. Not aborted.
My Mom knew she had a choice, and I thank her for deciding to give us all a chance at life. Even as a young teenager, who did not (and still doesn't) practice religion, although she does believe in God; she knew that you couldn't put a price on life, and she knew we all deserved a chance.
My brother and I were not planned. My sister was, but she was born just a little sooner than my mom had intended.
A baby born, whose dad was just brutally murdered at 18 years old. A baby born with high medical needs, and special needs. A baby born sooner than expected, as a twin with her brother not making it...
This is a prime example of why people claim that abortion is necessary. I want you to tell me why YOU think abortion is necessary... Tell me how a young girl grasps the pro-life concept, never having been taught one way or the other. How do grown adults not understand the value of life?
My Mom's mom, whom I call Nana, God rest her sweet soul; she had given birth to 6 children, 2 of which were born out of wedlock. She was sent away to a Catholic home for unwed mothers in Wyoming. She decided to give both of her sons up for adoption, and kept all four of her daughters. She had a choice to abort the babies, since a child out of wedlock at that time was seen as an abomination, but she didn't. She was ridiculed, judged, and frowned upon, which is why she was sent away. Her mother was ashamed of her, but Nana still chose life. She chose adoption.
All 3 of us were perfect cases for abortion. "Too young" "Hasn't gotten life figured out yet" "Whoops" "Special needs" "Born too soon with already having a high medical need child" "Life is hard".... only, these are not reasons to abort. No reason is. Some people say, "If I don't get an abortion, my baby will be a ward of the state, and he/she will be in the system their whole life." That's not true. My mom's bestfriend had adopted her youngest. My sister's preschool teacher, who became a family friend, has adopted numerous children from around the world, including the ones who were given up because they had special needs.
A baby is a baby from the moment of conception, it is not a clump of cells. It is not just a fetus, it is a human life, and it is wrong to murder your children. If a 14 year old girl can understand that, so can everyone else in the world. "Just because you can't hear them scream, doesn't mean they don't."
There is ALWAYS another option besides abortion. If you cannot love your baby, someone else will. ♡
Thank you for reading my story...I will leave you with one more thought:
“We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, of killings, of wars, of hatred. If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other.”
- Mother Theresa
