This I Believe

Austin changed my heart but the evidence changed my mind. How does a pro-choice woman going through her Murphy Brown stage become a pro-life educator? On August 8th 1994, I walked down the hall of a hospital holding my first grandchild in my arms. I was overwhelmed with the beauty of life and also the realization that I had spent a good portion of the last nine months trying to snuff out this very life. Austin’s mom, my youngest daughter was only 16. I am sure every mother can identify.

As time went on, the emotion was replaced by studying the pro-life viewpoint. I became educated on the scientific and philosophic evidence that changed my mind and eventually my life. Once I realized and accepted the scientific fact that human life does indeed begin at conception; that everything needed is present at that moment and the only things needed going forward is time and nutrients, I could not escape the obvious conclusion even though it was neither popular nor politically correct in my world.

A sentence that is not original with me summed it up perfectly. If the pre born are not human, no justification for abortion is needed but if the pre born are human, what justification is adequate? All in the abortion debate agree that abortion kills, as that is the sole purpose of the procedure. What I have to ask then is what am I about to kill?

There are so many issues that surround this simple statement. The age of the mother, her socio economic condition, potential defects/deformities, circumstances of conception………I know the issues and the real pain surrounding these issues well. In every story there is a real human being with needs and emotions. But what continues to haunt me is under what circumstances can I kill this life? Can I do it because it is so small, not yet well developed, still dependent, not what I wanted or can’t parent? The list could go on and on. How do we help the person in pain and still preserve the most basic right of another person to live.

Life had some unexpected surprises for me. I became a widow at a relatively early age. After reading some books about moving from success to significance, I decided to take early retirement and devote my time to pro-life education. Does this mean giving up meetings in boardrooms to do pro-life education in basements of libraries and standing in the middle of steak houses? It does.

Austin changed my heart but the evidence changed my mind. This I believe.