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The Day I Became Pro-Life

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I placed this here since it is strong on the view from a Christian perspective.

From:  The Pro-Life Infonet
Reply-To:  Steven Ertelt
Subject:   The Day I Became Pro-Life
Source:   New man Magazine; October 30, 2002

The Day I Became Pro-Life
By Don Haines

"Don, I want you to go down to Ob-Gyn this morning. They're doing an abortion
and I want you to see it."

My first thought after getting these directions from my nursing instructor
was, Why me? I could remember asking previously to be present at a live birth
if the opportunity presented itself, but I had no desire to see an abortion.
But I went. I was in my final semester of nursing school. It had been a long
grind. I wasn't going to make any waves at that point.

It was 1975 and I was not the fervent pro-lifer that I am today. Fact was, I
hadn't given the subject of abortion much thought. Looking back, it seems
inconceivable that I, a conservative Christian, would be so unconcerned. Was
my attitude sexist? Did I view abortion as a "woman problem" that had nothing
to do with me?

Perhaps. But I do know this: What I saw that day has stayed with me 23 years,
and will stay with me until I go to my grave.

One scene in particular is as vivid today as on that May morning in 1975. It
is with me always, both on a conscious level and in my dreams: a little
hand...a little rib cage.

"We've given her a general [anesthetic]. She's about 11 weeks, so a
dilatation and suction will be all that's necessary." The physician spoke
very matter-of-factly as he sat on a stool between the stirrupped and draped
legs of his patient. He was obviously very familiar with the procedure. He
continued: "We're going to keep her longer this time. Last time she nearly
exsanguinated on the way home."

I looked at the assisting nurse. She nearly bled to death last time? This
isn't her first abortion?
The doctor continued talking in his disinterested monotone, and I watched as
the contents of the woman's womb came through a suctioning device and into a
stainless-steel pail sitting at his feet. I stepped back and wiped the
perspiration from my brow. "This is kind of gruesome," I said. "Was there
some special reason she didn't want to have her baby?"

"She wanted an abortion," the nurse replied, "and we're required by law to do
what she wants."
The doctor had been listening to our conversation. As he stood up, he said:
"At this point in a pregnancy, the products of conception aren't much." I
knew the emphasis on "products of conception" was for my benefit.

Is that what you have in that pail? I thought. Does that make it easier for
you? I did not have the courage to put into words what I was thinking. I've
always regretted that.

I stepped forward and peered into the pail. This time I broke out in a cold
sweat. I backed up and leaned against the wall, my eyes closed. Dear Jesus! I
thought. I just saw someone murdered! And I just stood and watched! Why did I
come down here? How will I ever put this out of my mind?

"Are you OK?" the voice of the nurse brought me back.

"I'm sorry," I smiled weakly. "I just never realized what it was like. Do you
assist with these all the time?"

"More than I care to admit," the nurse said. "Actually I can handle one, but
when they come back for the second or third time, it really gets to me."

As I left the operating room, I shook my head in an attempt to get the
horrible vision out of my head. I couldn't. It was there; it would always be
there: a little hand...a little rib cage.

For some years after that, I had a recurring dream. A little baby would reach
out to me. I would try to get to the baby, but my legs were like lead
weights. When I'd finally drag myself to the baby, he would be gone. I knew
the dream was symbolic of the guilt I was feeling. I could not have stopped
that abortion. I had not the courage or the authority.

I now no longer have the dream. God in His infinite wisdom set me free. But I
still have the memory -- the little hand...the little rib cage. The
difference now is, I don't want the memory to leave. It gives me strength.

>From what I read, 25 million more babies have been aborted since the one I
saw in 1975. That baby who was never given a chance would now be 23 years
old. But I believe that little child has an immortal soul just as I do. He
now resides with God. And nowadays, when I stand alongside the highway,
holding my sign that reads Abortion Kills Children, I think of the soul of
that baby and the tiny body that ended up in a stainless-steel pail at the
doctor's feet. Then I hold my sign even higher, because I know that baby is
looking down at me and is glad I'm there.

Pro-Life I Day The

Used by Permission

From:  The Pro-Life Infonet
Reply-To:  Steven Ertelt
Subject:   National Adoption Month Highlights the Adoption Option
Source:   Focus on the Family; November 11, 2002

National Adoption Month Highlights the Adoption Option

Washington, DC -- This November, during National Adoption Month, those who
have brought a new face into their homes will tell you it's not only good for
children, but it's also a reflection of God's love for us.

Scott and Cindy Covington, for instance, had long dreamed of adopting. Along
the way, they learned more about China's policy of only one child per family
and all the abandoned babies that are sitting in orphanages.

"Because I'm Chinese we thought, 'Gosh, what a great opportunity for us to
take home some of these children and take care of them,' " Cindy Covington
said.

So the Covingtons conquered reams of paperwork, flew across the Pacific and
saw 14-month-old Stephanie for the first time.

"And that was the coolest feeling -- all of a sudden there she was and she
was ours," said Scott Covington.

Now, there's a 5-year-old singer in the house.

Susan Horner, co-author of "Loved by Choice," a collection of adoption
stories, tells of a crying newborn, passed from the birth mother to the
social worker to the adoptive mom.

"She just placed the crying baby into the new adoptive papa's arms, and
immediately he just quit crying, took a breath like, 'I'm home,' and he just
relaxed," Horner recalled.

Wendy Wright, senior director of policy at Concerned Women for America, is
also a big fan of adoption.

"Adoption is one of the most beautiful examples of God's love for us, because
God adopted us," Wright said.

Cindy Covington added: "Here's something we tell Stephanie: We say,
'Stephanie, you were a little girl who had no parents, and we were parents
that had no little girl. And God chose that you should come and stay and live
with us."

More than 130,000 children in the United States are looking for a home.

The Day I Became Pro-Life Studies Doctrine Mormon

Thanks for posting the story, The Day I Became Pro-Life. It was a very touching story and I, too, think that it is so sad when someone can return to have a 2nd or 3rd--it seems that the heart and soul become calloused.

The second post was good too and coincidentally I was just reading an article in the LDSLiving news titled:First Presidency Endorses National Adoption Month

I wonder if it would be appropriate since this is in the LDS thread to ask what the churches thoughts are--I know the statement about in times of rape or incest but I am wondering if it falls under the unpardonable sin area--seeing that it is ending an innocent life.