A Noteworthy Day and a Noteworthy Ruling

Seventeen years ago today was the due date of my very first baby. As it is with me, all five of my children decided to come later than their respective due dates, not that I'm bitter.

Seventeen years ago today I was scared. What would my baby be like? Was the baby a boy or a girl? How would labor and delivery be for me? What kind of mother would I be? What if I messed him or her up?

Every year at this time I tease my son and tell him he could already be enjoying birthday cake, but NOOOOOOOO... he had to come a couple days late.

He was well worth every day of morning (all-day) sickness, every pound gained, every back ache, every horrible contraction. He was worth the twenty-nine hour labor, with five hours of pushing. When he was born, he was limp, blue, and in distress. As I watched the nurses and doctor trying to revive him, all I could think of was, "Oh no." The look in my husband's eyes was that of panic. I kept asking, "Is it a boy or a girl?" and my husband said, "I don't know..." Then he heard the doctor scold the nurse who was bagging my son with a tiny breathing bag, saying, "Not so hard! You'll break his jaw!"

Fast forward to 2007. As I write this post, I can hear my almost seventeen year old son playing worship songs on the piano. He is so creative. He reads chords, then improvises. He was laughing hysterically this morning with his ten year old sister and twelve year old brother. He is unique, he is funny, he is strong. I am so proud of him, and so thankful to the Lord that his life was spared on his birth day. I am truly thankful for every day I have had with him, and will have with him.

A child is truly a blessing of the Lord - a heritage from Him, His reward!

As I have been reflecting back on this due date, I was struck by today's Supreme Court ruling upholding the partial birth abortion ban. Justin Taylor over at Between Two Worlds has a brief but noteworthy post on this.

Make note of your favorite politician's stand on this issue. It will speak volumes regarding his/her views on life itself.

Do No Harm

"As to diseases, make a habit of two things: to help, or at least do no harm
--- Hippocrates, The Epidemics

As I sat this morning with my steaming hot cuppa coffee, reading the newspaper, I turned to the opinion page.  I know better than to do that... but the political cartoon caught my eye.  The cartoon, by the artist Don Wright of the Palm Beach Post, had the headline "Guess which project will get all the money".  Below the headline Mr. Wright had a drawing of a microscope with stem cells, under which was written "Making people whole again".  Next to the microscope was another drawing, this one of a large U.S. missile, under which was written "Blowing them to smithereens", as if to imply that supporting the war and supporting stem cell research were two mutually exclusive endeavors.

 

I won't get into the morality of war (or immorality, as some see it.)  It's my understanding that the United States banned the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.  That's not to say there isn't any funding available for stem cell research as a whole... undoubtedly pharmaceutical companies and privately owned labs are conducting research in this controversial and potentially very lucrative field.  What bothers me is that we are willing, as a society, to allow embryonic stem cell research to continue at all.  There is an argument that this should be ethical because a majority of the embryos used in the research have been abandoned at various in-vitro fertilization banks.  Embryos whose parents had difficulty conceiving, and resorted to very costly invasive methods to get their family.  The leftover babies are persons in stasis... not merely stem cell sources to be harvested! 

 

God said of the prophet Jeremiah that "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you as a prophet to the nations." (Jer. 1:5)   Psalm 139 says that God formed our inward parts, and covered (wove) us in our mother's womb.  "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." Psalm 139:16

 

It's clear from the Bible, which I hold to be the Word of God, that even before our substance was formed we were of great value to God.  Isn't it interesting, that the Hebrew word there for substance, golem, means a wrapped and unformed mass, ie. as the embryo according to Strong's Concordance.  It brings horror to my heart to think that we, in the name of situational ethics, can so casually discard those who are the least among us, using what they have of value as if it is ours to take.

 

But what about the millions of people who suffer with horrible diseases, looking toward stem cell research to cure them?  Aren't their lives valued by God?  Of course!  The great news is that there is much research into cord blood stem cells, as well as adult stem cell manipulation. 

 

I was reading today on Genetic Engineering News' website that a company called BioE is the first to clone and commercialize multipotent stem cell lines derived from human umbilical cord blood.  The byline read: Rare Multi-Lineage Progenitor Cells Provide New, Viable Platform for Stem Cell Research Free from Public, Political Controversy Surrounding Use of Embryonic Stem Cells

 

This past April, in Leipzig, Germany, it was reported by the United Press International and the Washington Times that German scientists have developed a new technique and tools enabling them to extract embryo-quality stem cells from adult blood.

 

What?  You mean we can get the benefits of stem cells without destroying pre-born human babies?

 

Why aren't we seeing these headlines?  I don't know.  I have my own theories on that, but I won't bore you all with them.  The more of us who know of alternatives to embryonic stem cell usage, the better.  My prayer is that our nation, even all nations who are dabbling in this research, will find that cord blood cells and adult stem cells will provide wonderful therapies for those who need it.  May we all see the unethical horror of using our very own conceived babies as sources of medical "miracles".  Pray - contact your legislators - stay informed. For loads of information, see http://www.stemcellresearch.org/

Motherhood - #1 Risk Factor for Poverty

I just finished reading Ellen Goodman's opinion column entitled, "Did Our Foremothers Dream This?".  OK, I know I shouldn't have read the column in the first place, but my curiosity got the better of me. 

 

Ms. Goodman bemoans the fact that (according to her) the day that began with feminism and pacifism - Mother's Day, ends up with perfume and flowers.  In her own words, "What would they ("the founding mothers") make of a day to change the world that became a day to get breakfast in bed?"  She goes on to express that, in her opinion, the motherhood movement has slowed due to many factors, and that really the way to speed things up would be for the motherhood movement to hook up with political leadership.  This implies that politics and motherhood have a somewhat symbiotic relationship.  But, alas, today's modern mom lacks the faith that change can come to the outside world (taken from Judith Warner's book, Perfect Madness), and that to point fingers at society is now defined as shirking personal responsibility.  Huh... I haven't seen that - at least around here people are still blaming society for pretty much everything.  Society consists of lots of individuals, right?

 

To me, the greatest risk factor for poverty isn't motherhood, as Ms. Goodman states in her column, but rather it's our morally relativistic society itself.  The society that gets angry when some folks in government attempt to block the slow death by starvation of Terri Schaivo.  The society that embraces the "right" of college students to wear T-shirts stating they love their private parts.  The society that says anything goes sexually - just be sure it's safe sex.  And if a woman happens to get pregnant, society should protect the right of the mother to eliminate "the product of conception".  If you do happen to choose to give birth, don't worry... society will take care of your product of conception from cradle to grave, unless, of course, said product happens to need a feeding tube.  Clone your cat?  Sure!  Clone yourself?  Why not!  Is it any wonder that today's mothers are as confused and stressed as ever?  We think that having it all means having lots of things / rights and few consequences.  Is that all there is to having it all?

 

Undoubtedly there are issues inherent within our society which cause a great deal of stress and hardship, especially for single moms.  But is the politicization (is that a word?) of motherhood the answer?  Better day care, paid maternity leave, more welfare programs sound like great things, but it seems to me that if we don't look at the root cause of the issue, we're simply polishing the silver as the Titanic ship of society's foundation is sinking.  That term, "Government Nanny", seems to be sticking in my mind.

 

I don't see the Church as being faultless in this.  Where are the Titus 2 women?  Older women teaching the younger women was something penned in the scriptures, not as an optional thing but a mandate.  Probably the last thing we need is another seminar or weekly meeting.  Who would care for the children?  ;-)  My heart's desire is that we who wear the title "Christian" become more in tune with the Holy Spirit's promptings to pour into the lives of other moms, other women.  We need each other.  We need to encourage women to dare to read what the Bible has to say about life, its value, what God sees as important, and how Jesus thinks "having it all" is defined  (see Luke 12 - it's great!).  We need to live the gospel, caring for the sick, the poor, the overwhelmed.  Yeah, it'll cost us something - sometimes it costs time, money, prayer, service.  No one ever said living the gospel would be easy.

 

No doubt motherhood surprised many of us.  Hey, I didn't even LIKE kids until I had my own.  It is exhausting, exhilirating, emotionally draining.  I am thankful to God for those older women He placed across my path who shared kind words, warm meals, heartfelt hugs, and shoulders for me to cry on.  They taught me the priceless worth of mothering.

 

Motherhood Politics? Whatever.  As the feminists and politicians wrestle over how to handle motherhood, I'll stick to the timeless principles of loving my neighbor and being sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  When will we learn that God's ways are not our ways, but that His ways are published for all to read?