Agape

I have alluded to the fact that some testimony shared with the abortion task force last week was very compelling. I wish everybody could hear the entirety of the expert and public testimony. Since I know that is not possible, I would like to direct your attention to the testimony of one young woman. I'm not going to kid you; this one will tug at your heartstrings, as it is a most beautiful testament to love. For those of you with RealPlayer, I assure you nothing I say can do justice to what you are going to hear, so disregard the remainder of this post and listen to the audio from 10/21/2005, beginning at 06:20:19 and running through 06:28:38. For fear of detracting from Rachel's account as it appears below, I will refrain from offering my opinion relative to the tone of the last person to question this witness. I simply find it notable. If you don't listen to the audio, you're missing out.

For those of you who are unable to access the testimony on your computer, it is the account of a young woman named Rachel who spoke with wisdom, strength, and compassion. As a sophomore in college, Rachel found out she was pregnant. The first time she visited her doctor, Rachel was told that her baby was not going to live due to some severe birth defects. Rachel was asked whether she would like to terminate her pregnancy. She declined, in favor of giving her daughter a chance at life, saying "I can wake up every day and say I gave my daughter the best chance I could, and I did everything I could for her, and I can live with that. I wouldn't have been able to live with the guilt of giving up on her."

During her pregnancy, Rachel consulted with four different doctors. Rachel was told that she may lose her baby during her pregnancy, but in a best-case scenario, her child would not live more than three days after being born. When Rachel's daughter Lily was born, she was not breathing. Rachel said, "The one thing that I got the minute she was born was I got to hold her....and that's a feeling you can't trade for anything in the world. Shortly after--which seemed like forever--she took her first breath. She continued breathing for thirty-two days...She was a beautiful baby. The same as I watched her take her first breath, I also watched her take her last, which I'm not going to lie, is an extremely hard thing to do--the hardest thing I'll ever have to do in my life."

Rachel continued, "If I would meet anyone on the street that was going through the same thing I was, I would tell them to give that baby a chance because the doctors, while sometimes they're right, they're not always. And I have a pride for myself, knowing that I did everything I could for that little girl, no matter what the outcome was going to be....I still got the chance to hold her....and she was real to me."

Rachel concluded her testimony, "Not every baby is perfect. Not every baby is formed perfect in the womb, but they should all deserve a chance to make it."

In response to committee questioning, Rachel said, "Being able to give birth to a child that's been growing inside you is the most amazing thing whether it's going to make it or not....there's nothing in this world I would trade for getting to hold my daughter for even a second."

In response to the final question, Rachel tearfully said, "If there's anyone in my situation, I would tell them the exact same thing....give that baby a chance because it deserves a chance just like every one of us. It may not be perfect, but it still deserves a chance."