ABORTION HAS A FACE

   

 I would like to share personal stories that to me illustrates what the abortion issue is all about. It is about real people. The political left, in it's vanity thinks it has the right to decide who lives or dies. It thinks that it can decide, because of the complexity and quality, or lack of quality, in a person's perceived environment, what is best for that person. Only God is truly qualified to make that judgement. I have seen people born into less than desirable circumstances become hardened criminals and I have seen them become one of the top neuro-surgeons in the country.

 My granddaughter was born on September 4, 1987 and my daughter Misty, who I love more than life itself, made a mistake becoming pregnant at fourteen years old. After I recovered from the shock we  had a talk and I felt obligated to remind her that what she did was wrong. I really didn't have to say that because she knew she was wrong. In our family abortion is not an option. I told her that after our talk I would never mention her mistake again and I have lived up to my promise. We had a baby to raise and I told her that that was our goal as a family now. Our pediatrician was a man that I had much respect for. In my opinion he had saved the life of my son Jon by recommending a doctor that was able to treat a bladder condition connected to his brain function that was so rare that it was virtually unheard of. 

I called him on the phone and told him that I thought my daughter was pregnant. The first words out of his mouth was "bring her in to the office and we will give her a pregnancy test. "If is is positive we will take her to Planned Parenthood and get an abortion". I was struck by the coldness and callousness of his words. Without hesitation I told him that there were no abortions in this family. He became angry with me and said "just bring her in and we will make the decision then". My wife Debbie, Misty and myself went to his office the next day. I was very proud of them because they both stood up to the doctor while I waited in the car. Because of his attitude I decided to change our pediatrician on my insurance but it took a while before the change went into effect. I was forced to take Misty in for her first follow-up visit. He was so angry with me that he barely spoke. I learned later that his wife was a big wig at Planned Parenthood. 

When my granddaughter was born I sent him her picture and I wrote on the back, "This is what you wanted to destroy". I also wrote the verse from Jeremiah 1-5 which says "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." There are many other verses in the Bible that highlight the sanctity of life and of the unborn. When Elizabeth met Mary who was carrying John the Baptist the scriptures say that he leapt in the womb. (Luke 1:41 - And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. Psalm 139:13-16 Verse 13 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16-Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be). 

 Most women I have talked to, who have had abortions, cannot talk about it without weeping. Feminists try to make the subject of abortion into a male vs. female issue. Because I am male I have no right to even voice an opinion. If abortion was the same as removing a mole I could agree with them. Modern technology such as the ultrasound have proven beyond doubt that a baby is a completely separate person and is a living breathing human very early in a pregnancy. A baby can even have a totally different blood type than the mother. The taking of life is an issue that should be of concern to everyone. Due to life's circumstances I have considered it an honor to raise my granddaughter into a beautiful woman who I had the honor to walk down the aisle on her wedding day. She gave us our first great granddaughter and my greatest honor is that she calls me daddy.

On February 3, 1996 my grandson Zachary Segroves was born. He was about two months premature and very fortunate to have been born at all. Early in my daughter-in-laws pregnancy an ultrasound revealed that my grandson had a large cyst pressing on his lung. The cyst was endangering the development of his lungs. I am told that on at least four occasions doctors wanted to abort Zach. My son and daughter-in-law, being Christian, and believing in the sanctity of life, refused to give up on him. When Zach's little body had developed sufficiently, doctors operated on him while he was still in the womb, removing a portion of one lung. This was a revolutionary surgery performed at the time at Vanderbilt University hospital. My daughter-in-law spent her last few weeks before his birth in the hospital so his and her vital signs could be monitored. Zach weighed just over three pounds when he was born and spent several weeks in neonatal intensive care before he could go home. Today Zachary is a healthy and handsome twenty year old man. He is about six foot three inches tall and a very talented drummer that plays Christian music with his cousin Connor and brother Zane.

Zachary Segroves

 My grandson Russell Qualls was born with a hole in his spine on October 27, 2010. He had a condition called Spinabifida. It was discovered when my daughter had her first ultrasound. Her doctor encouraged her to have an abortion but again she and her husband were believers and refused to end the pregnancy. She was on a thyroid medicine before she became pregnant and she asked her doctor if she should stop taking the medicine. He told her that she would be okay. As it turned out one of the side effects of this drug was that it could cause Spinabifida in an unborn baby. Russell was taken to surgery immediately after he was born. He was a miracle baby from the start. Ninety percent of children born with this condition have to have a shunt implanted in their head to drain off water from the brain. Russell did not require one. 

 When most children are at walking age Russell was still crawling because his legs could not support the weight of his body. He could not feel his feet and lower legs. Over time he was fitted with braces that enabled him to walk but he was constantly falling. It was determined that he would have to be catheterized for the rest of his life. Over the years he has had months of therapy. This did not hold Russell back. He loved any kind of sport. Baseball, football, hockey, basketball, you name it. My daughter signed him up in the Smyrna Little League when he was three. All of his coaches and assistants loved Russell and worked hard to help him develop. When Russell first started playing he would have to bat while in his walker. It was coach pitch and he could not hit the ball until the coach put the ball on a tee. When he hit the ball he would run the entire length of the bases with a big grin on his face. It was very difficult for him because sweat would be pouring off of his head and face. I never watched this without choking back tears. 

 During the 2015 season his coach taught him to hit without the walker. He would stand on his own and usually on the first pitch he would knock the stuffing out of the ball. Every time he swung the bat he would fall on his butt but would get right back up. When he ran the bases his coach would hold his hand but he managed to do it even though he fell many times but the smile never left his face. Because of his big heart and winning attitude he was chosen as the Academy Sports Smyrna Athlete of the year for 2015. I am confident that Russell will walk without problems one of these days. He will always need braces but he will walk. I feel convinced that if more people could attach a face to the babies that are being destroyed daily, abortion would be greatly diminished in this country. Before you can justify killing something you must first dehumanize it. The Nazi's dehumanized the Jews by comparing them to subhumans, vermin and rodents. It is easier to kill a fetus than to kill a baby. Over 50 million people have died since the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This is about the number of people worldwide who died in WW2. Words have power and abortion has a face.

Russell with Smyrna Mayor Mary Esther Reed after winning the Academy Sports Athlete of the Year Award