Getting a Clearer Picture

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When Michelle and I were expecting our first child, we were greatly anticipating the ultrasound that would allow us to see our baby in the womb and even know if we would have a boy or a girl. I vividly recall watching the black and white images on the screen. And I recall the exciting news that I would have a son. But more than these impactful moments, I will never forget the strange expression that came over the face of the ultrasound technician as she suddenly stood and announced she needed to step out of the room.

We waited and tried not to panic. A doctor soon entered the room, picked up the ultrasound wand, and began to examine the images. The news was grim. Our son, we were told, had a condition known as a “common atrium.” Heart surgery would be mandatory at birth if not before. We were numb.

An appointment at a children’s hospital in two weeks for another procedure, an echocardiogram ultrasound, would give the doctors a clearer picture of the heart. We were told to try not to worry and sent home to wait. Our prayer life immediately shifted into the highest gear and we comforted one another with the hope that only people of faith can understand.

The second ultrasound finally came. The physician this time was a jolly, white-bearded man who could have played Santa Claus in any movie. After only minutes of examining the screen, he delivered one of the best gifts we have ever received. He was unable to explain why the first ultrasound caused concern. “There. Count the chambers: one, two, three, four. No problems with this boy’s heart!” God had heard our prayers.

From my first glance at the ultrasound screen, I never questioned whether what I was seeing was a person. What I was seeing was more than a person. He was my son.

Every day in the United States, abortion doctors perform procedures to end unwanted pregnancies. More accurately, they murder sons and daughters of women who are trying to convince themselves that what grows inside them isn’t yet a child.

I believe one glance at an ultrasound screen could save the lives of many of those children. Most abortion doctors are already using the ultrasound as a part of the procedure. Measures now active in the Kentucky legislature would require doctors to show mothers the image of their unborn children before the abortion is performed. Is it too much to ask a doctor to explain the procedure and show the mother her child?

Please call the legislative hotline at 1-800-372-7181 and encourage your representatives to pass the ultrasound bill. Lives depend on it.

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