Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A Woman's Right to Choose

I just finished watching an interview of the single woman who delivered eight babies, making her total children 14. I will agree that she has too much on her plate. I think that collecting honest disability for her autistic child is appropriate and a way to make ends meet for her family and provide for his extra needs. They're not living on much, it's not like she's getting rich through some wild scheme to have tons of babies and collect disability on the ones who need it.

I appreciate that she admitted that she wasn't out to have more than 1 more baby this time - at least she says that in hindsight. I also thought it was interesting that she had 6 embryos implanted each time she conceived the previous children and only once had twins, the others were single births and the rest of the embryos didn't survive.

What fires me up about this whole situation is the anger and hate that has stirred within a nation that supports a woman's "right to choose". It's not called pro-abortion but pro-choice. So, following the choice theme, she should also be supported in her decision to keep all 8 babies. Yes, her road will be hard and more than likely there will be an affect on society. We will all realize that soon enough, mostly those close to her, but I suppose the trickle down affect of our pooled taxes will generally affect all of us, however small it will be. (Fractions of pennies I assume). We will live with her choice and know the consequences of it. We can judge her and tsk tsk the circumstances. Those that are close will have extra burdens in helping these children through life: childcare, money for food, clothes, etc. We will see what affect her choice makes.

On the other hand, we do not know the loss that society has faced in ending a life through abortion. We can't count the cost to society. It can't be judged. Many times we can't even count the cost to the people who have made the choice to abort their unexpected, unwanted child. It's a choice which can't be traced unless the mother, and sometimes the father, choose to describe the burden they quietly carry inside. Even then, the difference will be in the path one life takes and the impact it makes because the other life is gone.

Eight babies were unexpected but life for them was chosen. Chosen! Several of them could have been "selectively reduced". Praise God for their lives. I'm praying that they are healthy and that they kick some butt showing society what an impact a life can have however inconvenient it may be.

5 comments:

momaof4 said...

Amen. I keep thinking that if God didn't want her to have those little ones, then she wouldn't have them...you know.

SLMW8MAN said...

Pretty amazing. Sounds like she has a quiver full.

Nic G. said...

Christy, Thanks for boldly stepping out with a very well worded perspective. I have had mixed feelings on this woman. You make some very strong points about the double standard we set when as Christians we declare how wrong abortion is, yet when a mother decides against that as a choice, we still call her character and judgement in to question.

I did not get to watch the Dateline special so I do not have many of the facts of the situation and I did not know that in her previous six pregnancies she had also had six embryos implanted and yet each time only one survived.

What I have struggled with though, is from my perspective as a mom of two extremely premature children, and one special needs child. I can't imagine making the choice to spend such an incredible amount of money to add even one more child to my six children when three of them have various disabilities. Then you take in to the equation that she has seemingly not fully planned out how to support even the six children she already had. Even with the government help that she was getting, finances were far from secure.

I know the feeling of having a heart that so strongly wants a large family. I am very much that way myself. However, I have had to step back from my own self-seeking wants and seek God's will. And God has clearly shown me that not only are we not financially in a place to add to our family, but that I would not be the mom I am called to be to my current four children, especially our special needs son who requires so much.

While I completely applaud this woman's decision to not abort any of her babies, that good choice does not diminish my questioning of whether she made a responsible decision to intentfully pursue having even one more child. There are some that have even said that there is, potentially at least, a case to be made for abuse and/or neglect. Can this woman provide the safe and nurturing environment where all fourteen of these children's needs, emotionally and physically, are being met? So with that in mind, I am sad and yes even at times angry that these children could potentially be the ones to really be paying the price of their mom's choices.

Heidi said...

I really appreciate what you have to say. Instead of trying to figure the why of it all, we should all be rejoicing that somebody (even if not the "ideal") chose life!!

Heidi

Theresa said...

You wrote this well. I understand everyone's complaints about her having some public assistance, unmarried etc. But it sure is a slippery slope when we start saying something is okay for one person or group and not another. When will they say we shouldn't have more than 2 children? Praise God they were not "selectively reduced". Some of my favorite people were unwanted pregnancies, including my father and my Husband... thank God their mothers didn't abort or "selectively reduce" them! As for whether or not she can provide care and love and nurture 14 children (no disrespect to your other commenter who is also well spoken)... it has been done for centuries. Some women cannot nurture one child... again, it's a slippery slope! I certainly don't want the government telling me what to do with my children; it's bad enough already!

Lord, lift me above my own narrow horizons, that I might fulfill your true vision for me. - B.J. Hoff