Thanks, Mom, Dad, for choosing life
Once upon a time, around 60 years ago, a local Iowa woman was strongly encouraged by the family doctor to seriously consider terminating her pregnancy, due to personal life-threatening health problems. Both she and her husband, being devout people of faith, determined together to entrust the matter into the hands of the creator, who they believed had bestowed upon them the privilege and responsibilities of parenthood.
Thankfully for the woman; and fortunately for the fetus; the pregnancy was carried successfully to full term and the child, a son, was safely delivered. The mother lived in reasonably good health until the age of 84. The son, now nearing retirement age, was only recently informed by an older sibling of his potentially-precarious pre-natal predicament.
Upon receiving this heretofore-unknown information, he was immediately overwhelmed with utter humility and profound gratitude upon the realization of his mother’s willingness to literally lay down her life — and of his father’s consent to honor his wife’s convictions — in order for the son tosurvive.
Because as it turns out, you see, that fetus was me. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for choosing life.