A Late Decision, a Lasting Anguish

[coda]

A Late Decision, a Lasting Anguish

Los Angeles Times

By Stephanie Simon Times Staff Writer
Tue May 31, 7:55 AM ET


WICHITA, Kan. —

It's been 4 1/2 years, and still Marie Becker can feel Daniel kicking inside her, kicking and kicking as she choked back hysteria — kicking until the drug stopped his heart and she felt only stillness.


She prayed Daniel would forgive her.


She prayed for forgiveness from God as well. Becker had been taught that abortion was a sin; she wanted so to believe it might also be a blessing. In her seventh month of pregnancy she had learned Daniel had a fatal genetic disorder and his life would be brief and brutal. She wanted to spare him that.


For the love of God, the last thing I wanted to do was to murder my own child," she said recently. "This was something we did out of love and respect for him."


<snip>

She finds it reprehensible that Tiller aborts healthy fetuses in the first and second trimester (and even, sometimes, in the third trimester when the mother is very young, or a victim of rape). But she cannot censure him too harshly.

For children like Daniel, "the man is a savior," she said. "He's there for women who have nowhere else to go."



more.....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/alatedecisionalastinganguish;_ylt=AnbqlrHukHgsVrJu1x_iyWIDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[sui generis]

1. that's the important thing

people don't just go off and get an abortion like they would get a haircut.

It is a life changing decision. I don't like it at all, but it's not my decision, and regardless of whether it was my decision or not, a mother's reasons are completely different than any rationale I could offer.

I don't know about a late term Down syndrome - that creeps me out, having known DS kids that were happy and well adjusted, even if a little demented.

The fact of the matter is that 95% of all people getting abortions get them within the first month or two. If the rabid right wants to reduce the incidence of second and third trimester abortions, then they should focus their efforts on healthy fetuses and on earliest possible detection of fatal mutations or lifetime health challenges, rather than pissing and moaning about a reality that is inevitable for a mother determined to have an abortion.