The abortion rights “forces” you speak of are not a brutal army of baby haters.  We are mothers, fathers, and doctors, filled with love and compassion for all human life. Where we differ from you Mr. Brooks, is through our personal experience and depth of understanding on this issue.  We understand the complexities involved because we HAVE “looked this matter in the face.” We are offended by your cheap shots, moral indignation, and attempts to focus societal shame on grieving mothers like Julia.

We differ because we trust our doctors more than your politicians.  We differ because we also trust women.  We trust them to be moral, and ethical, and intelligent, as they face these issues head on, and we certainly don’t need uninformed people like you telling well trained doctors what to do. 

As for Thomas, his mother and father made the choice end the suffering of their beloved child.  They did this with heavy hearts, after many days of deep contemplation and prayer.  They did this on the advice of their doctors, and they did it with the welfare of Baby Thomas as their primary concern.  They wanted more time to decide, but were forced to move fast because of late term abortion laws. They discovered Thomas’s condition at 22 weeks, and were told the late term abortion law of 24 weeks was their deadline.  They wanted more time to consult with medical professionals and clergy, but people like you prevented that.

Julia writes: “In a procedure very similar to an amniocentesis, Thomas’s heart was stopped with a simple injection.  In that moment, as I held my husband’s hand, I met God and handed him my precious boy to care for, for all eternity.  Over the next 17 hours I labored to deliver Thomas’s body. It was a painful experience, but the only option given to a woman at 24 weeks gestation. Thomas Stephen was born into this world just after 6:00 a.m. on November 27, 2002 – the day before Thanksgiving.  The loving nurse who’d helped us through labor cleaned his fragile body and brought him to us. We held our boy for the next hour as we said goodbye. Our own eyes confirmed what our hearts had already come to know: that Thomas was not meant for this world. Thomas’s life and death have changed our lives in ways we will never fully comprehend… Through him, I’ve grown closer to God, who understands what it is to sacrifice your only begotten son in the name of mercy.”

That Mr. Brooks, is the face of late term abortion, and no matter how many essays you write about cute little heartbeats and hands, YOU SIR, have no business in that hospital room, unless God forbid, the child you speak of is your own.

In conclusion, I ask the editorial staff of The Dispatch to consider the personal pain inflicted on real people like Julia and her husband when a one sided article like this is printed by a pundit with credentials from The New York Times.  I hope in the future The Dispatch will work hard to ensure that both sides of every issue are presented fairly, in the unbiased manner expected of professional journalism.

cross-posted fromThe Fat Lady Sings...