There's A Little Person In There!

I collected these 3D ultrasound images from several sites and was consistently struck by the unmistakable humanity of these little ones. The photos above range from 8 weeks to 31 weeks from conception. I am amazed by those who deny this life should be protected. I'm sorry, but I see a little person in there. Even the image taken of the little one at 8 weeks shows a child equipped to do the Hokey-Pokey ("You put your right hand in...")

I was genuinely saddened to hear that the pregnant bank teller who was recently shot during a robbery lost her unborn twins. The CNN story states, "Katherin Shuffield, who had been five months pregnant, said that a nurse showed her and Jason photos of their twins, and that each fetus could have fit in the palm of her hand. 'When I see the pictures with my husband we always try to be strong and don't cry. But it's hard to see that they were so little,' she said, her voice cracking." I struggle to imagine what my state of mind would be in Mrs. Suffield's position. I certainly mourn her loss.

Amazingly the perpetrator, if caught, will not be charged with murder but with feticide. Indiana law allows for the charge to be murder, but only if the killing occurs after the 7th month. I wonder if the state of Indiana would reconsider its legal position if the law makers were to take a look at a 3D image of say 22 weeks? I have a feeling that the Shuffield family would vote for this being prosecuted as a heinous murder of those unable to protect themselves rather than the denial of opportunity to develop of potentially human tissues.

I am grateful for the window into the womb modern technology is opening allowing us to take a peek inside. It is truly a marvel to see the miraculous process of life blossoming. The next time you hear a news story about "an unborn fetus" or have a conversation with someone about "when life really begins" I encourage you to seek out some of these photos or, better yet, find a friend who is expecting and take a look at their ultrasound. Maybe by peeking through that window we'll all realize that there really is a little person in there rather than some tissue that has the potential to become human.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:13-14)

Blue Eyes Like Janey's

Monday Morning Message - Life Is Precious

The good news is that the abortion rate in the U.S. is slowly declining. Consider the following statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood.

• 1990 - approximately 1.6 million babies were aborted (that's 4300 every day - almost twice the population of my fair village).
• 2000 - approximately 1.3 million babies were aborted.
• 2005 - approximately 1.2 million babies were aborted.
• This number translates into...
• 100,000 each month.
• 3333 each day.
• 138 each hour.
• 2 each minute.

The news is good in that the number of abortions is declining but it is far from glorious good news. In the time it takes us to brush our teeth properly (according to the ADA guidelines) four unborn children will have lost their lives. What of these unborn lives? Should they have a voice? Are those "masses of cells" in a womans womb anything more than biological garbage? Does Scripture give any information that is useful to us? To each of these questions I believe the answer is a resounding "Yes".

In Psalm 139:13-16 David speaking to God says,

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I than you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.
(The Message)

The overwhelming and inescapable teaching from Scripture is that life is precious to God. From beginning to end this message never changes. What is startling and informative for this discussion is that even pre-born life is precious to God. God tells Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you." (Jeremiah 1:5). Isaiah 44:24 speaks of the "redeemer who formed you in the womb."

It is interesting to note that not even a trained geneticist can tell the difference between the DNA of an unborn child and the DNA of a fully grown human being. All the stuff of life is present from the moment of conception. Even taking the traditional/clinical definition of life, a heartbeat and brain activity (when you don't have these they declare you to be dead), an unborn child has a heartbeat at 21 days and brain activity is detected at 40 days. Most women don't even discover they are pregnant until this time! If we define life outside the womb as having a heartbeat and brain activity should we not define it similarly inside the womb?

One writer puts it this way, "Whatever you wish to call the result of human conception, it is human: it is not animal, it is not plant, it is not mineral. If it is just “matter,” it is human matter. If it is just “tissue,” it is human tissue. It has never existed before, it will never exist again. It is undeniably distinct, irrepeatable, independent, living human life."

It is my firmly held conviction that this life, which is precious to God and which should be precious to us, must be protected. According to the 1996 world almanac 27% of pregnancies worldwide end in abortion. That is 1 out of every 4. I readily acknowledge that this number is skewed by the government mandated 1 child per family law of China but this will reap it's own harvest of social problems in the coming decades as increasing numbers of men find decreasing numbers of women as boy children are valued more than girl children.

There are various arguments raised in favor of abortion such as for victims of rape or in cases of fetal abnormalities or the health of the mother is compromised by a pregnancy. Again, the Guttmacher Institute's findings are instructive.

• Less than 1% of abortions are for victims of rape.
  
• Less than 1% of abortions are for fetal abnormalities.
  
• 4% of abortions are Dr. recommended because the health of the woman would worsen if the pregnancy was carried to term.
• 96% of abortions are, to some degree, for convenience.

"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute." Proverbs 31:8 If ever there was a group unable to speak for themselves it is the unborn.

A Shepherd's Tale - Beginnings

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 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, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!" (Psalm 139:13-17)

I don't much remember those first days, but what a marvel they were! Just imagine, an egg and a sperm got together and the result of those two tiny and unremarkable cells linking up is me! Oh sure, there are 40 years and 9 months of growth, learning, and experiences thrown into the mix now, but it all started right there! What a miraculous and wonderful process got started at that moment! I found the following information on the National Library of Medicine's website. It is amazing all that was going on with me in those early days...

Week 3

• My brain, spinal cord, and heart is beginning to develop
• So is my gastrointestinal tract.

Weeks 4 to 5

• My heart started beating in rhythm
• Blood started flowing
• My eyes and ears got their start
• My brain developed into five areas and some cranial nerves began to be visible
• My arms and legs start growing!

Week 6

• My lungs get their start this week
• And my arms and legs are longer. Guess what, I've got feet and hands now complete with toes and fingers!

Week 7

• This week you can see my elbows!
• All my essential organs are starting to form.

Week 8

• My dashing good looks are taking form as my face continues to develop.

Weks 9 to 12

• I've got a big head right now. It's about half of my body!
• No mistaking it now. I'm definitely good looking! My face is fully formed.
• Getting ready to have teeth too. My tooth buds are forming but they won't show up for almost a year!
• Guess what I can do now! I can make a fist!
• And look at that! I'm a boy!

Weeks 13 to 16

• I'm almost 6 inches long!
• My muscles and bones have developed too!
• I'm beginning to move around some.
• I've learned how to suck. Gotta' be ready to eat!

Week 20

• To complete my boyish good looks I now have eyebrows and eyelashes!
• Oh yeah, my toenails and fingernails have started growing.
• Mom felt me kick her this week and the doctor heard my heartbeat with his stethoscope.

Week 24

• I'm almost a foot long this week!
• Everything I will need to see is now in place. My baby blues are ready to take a look!
• Things startle me now. My reflexes are coming along.
• There is no longer any mistaking me for someone else, I've got fingerprints!

Weeks 25 to 28

• I'm starting to pack on the pounds now. I'm weighing in around 2.5 pounds.
• I'm getting smarter too. My brain is getting its act together for my debut!
• I'm learning how to wink as my eyelids are opening and closing.
• If I was born at this time I could survive. It would be tough but possible.

Weeks 29 to 32

• I'm a foot and a half long and still growing!
• Mom has been eating good so I'm getting fat.
• My breathing is regular now and my bones are fully developed now.
• I've started storing iron, calcium and phosphorus as I get ready to take on the world.

Weeks 37 to 40

• I'm now 18 to 22 inches long and about 7 pounds.
• My fingernails may need to be cut as they are past my finger tips now
• And I have a beautiful head of hair now!

On February 1, 1967 (I'm 40, just to save you the math) around 5 p.m. I came wailing into this world. What a miracle! Something even more astounding is that God loved me from long before I got my 2 celled start in life. In fact, the Bible says that He has loved me from the foundations of the world. Since before time began, He's been loving me. What's more, He's got plans for me! He told Jeremiah, "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." (Jer. 1:5). Sure, God was speaking to Jeremiah, but if He knew Jeremiah and had plans for Jeremiah's life I believe He also knew me and has had plans for me from before I got my two celled start. How cool is that!

At this first stop on our pilgrimage you may want to take a moment to simply take in the wonder of your own birth. It might be an opportunity for you to remember your wondrous worth to God. You may feel pretty worthless, but discovering a God who loved you even before you got your start can change all that!

It Speaks for Itself...

Louisiana became the first state in the Union to make this late term abortion procedure illegal. The following quotes are from a couple of news articles concerning the Louisiana law. Here's hoping other states will follow suit quickly. Please note, the law does allow for the procedure if the mother's life is in danger.

I am glad I don't have pictures to attach. The description speaks for itself.

"Anti-abortion activists call the procedure "partial-birth abortion;" surgeons and abortion rights activists call it "dilation and extraction." It involves partially removing the fetus intact from a woman's uterus, then crushing or cutting its skull to complete the abortion." Fox News

"The procedure at issue is generally used only to end pregnancies in the second or third trimesters. It involves pulling the fetus through the birth canal and then collapsing the skull before extraction." Times-Picayune, New Orleans