People everywhere are talking about the baby born after spending less than 22 weeks in her mother’s womb. Baby Amillia has been called everything from the pro-life icon, the new poster child for the pro-life movement, miracle baby to small wonder. Her parents are pleased just to hear her name. Yesterday, the Taylor’s were informed that they could take their daughter home. And even though her development is continually being monitored by medical staff people everywhere are rejoicing at the news.
The media attention Amillia is getting should WAKE UP AMERICA to the fact that life can not be determined merely by length of time in the womb. At 21 weeks, Amillia Taylor was more than just a “blob of tissue” as the media and pro-choice advocates would want you to believe. Although not fully developed yet, Amillia has attributes of a full term baby only smaller. She had tiny visible toes, wiggly fingers, and a beating heart! Instinctively Amillia knew she had to fight, and fight she did. Doctors are now saying her prognosis is excellent. Amilla’s continued success embodies the cliché “big things come in small packages.”
Despite her small package her life has and will continue to have big impact to the pro-life movement. Pro-choice advocates are no longer left to battle a faceless opponent. With every breath taken, Amillia serves as a living testament of what pro-lifers have been saying all along. For those who have closed their eyes and minds to the debate of when true life begins, Amillia is a loud voice resonating in a small body that calls out for us to WAKE UP.
Sadly, amidst the celebration of Amillia’s progress; her picture on every media outlet across the country, also reminds us of the countless faces we will never see due to those fighting to keep abortion legal. I know not only what Amillia’s birth does for the pro-life movement and the advancement of women’s health, but also what it does for women in the black community. 40% of African Americans have their babies aborted, yet only represent 17% of the U.S. population. That statistic saddens and disturbs me. As the pro-life movement continues, I pray more women realize life begins at conception not at birth.
A recent article written by Dr. Lillie Epps, VP of Urban Development at Care Net highlights the effect abortion has had on the black community. Epps’ article quotes statistics that point to the continued dangers the option of “choice” has done to African Americans. Often convinced by political and social leaders many are told and believe the only option is to abort. It’s time for leaders of every community to WAKE UP and help pregnant women understand all of their choices.
One day Amillia may have a lot to say to those who believed her life was not worth fighting for. Reaching hearts of individuals one at a time is what we can continue to do, as we pray for Amillia, her family and our country.
Comments (5)
A truly heartwarming story.
February 22, 2007 12:39 PM | Comment Permalink
very touching...
February 22, 2007 4:19 PM | Comment Permalink
21-22 weeks. Hmm... lets see... second trimester. Impressive medical tech there.
But still irrelivent to the first-trimester abortions which present the greatest conflict - that between the 'magic momement of conception' people, and the moderates who see a cutoff-date for abortion somewhere in the second trimester.
February 22, 2007 4:57 PM | Comment Permalink
"Suricou" is absolutely correct. I'd go even further and state that if a child somehow were to survive outside the mother's womb in the first trimester, the abortion-on-demand crowd would fall to their secondary argument in favor of abortion. That the child is not a "person". So until the courts recognize the unborn, from the moment of conception are "persons", the battle to end this legal holocaust will not end.
And of course, many, many first trimester children would have to survive in order for the courts to even consider them as humans with the constitutional right of life.
February 22, 2007 7:35 PM | Comment Permalink
Elaine: The problem is that a freshly-fertilised human embryo doesn't really have anything uniquely human about it. Other than genetic material that has yet to do anything, it is identical in every way to the embryo of any other species - so much identical that its possible to mix-and-match organelles. If you want to give embryos all the rights of humans, then logically, you must give the same rights to every animal species - and possibly plants.
February 23, 2007 11:06 AM | Comment Permalink