CAUTION:THIS POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING IMAGES OF A DECEASED INFANT WITH PATAU'S SYNDROME.
Gary Graham, best known for his portrayal of a Vulcan in TV's Star Trek, is a man with a pricked conscience. Like an ex-smoker or someone who's suddenly got God, Mr Graham has suddenly decided that the most cathartic recovery from his past is to tell anyone who'll listen - loudly. Writing in a blog, he opines:
"No. I’m going to say it. I’m going to say what millions know in the front of their brains, and many, many more millions know in the depths of their hearts…but won’t allow themselves to think it, much less feel it. And believe me, I know I’ll be hated for saying it, I’ll be hated by people who don’t know me, have never worked with me, have never golfed with me, had a drink with me, shot the shit with me. They’ve never met me, don’t want to meet me…but they will hate me. I’m going to say it anyway: Abortion is murder."I don't hate you Gary, I just think you're nerve-jarringly stupid and more than a little guilty of youthful hubris having paid for THREE abortions. Gary goes on:
"I have been on all sides of this issue for most of my life, and I can simply not escape the logic. That fetus a pregnant woman is carrying inside of her, regardless of the gestation stage, is a living, breathing human being. Yes, breathing – the amniotic sac forms 12 days after conception, and in the second trimester the baby is actually breathing the amniotic fluid. It’s not an ‘unviable tissue mass.’ Not a wart, a mole, a skin outcropping, a boil, or a bundle of uncoordinated cells. It’s not just a ‘fetus’."Yes Gary, a foetus: not a baby. At 12 weeks (the end of the first trimester) the baby is no more capable of living outside the mother's uterus than (with apologies to Douglas Adams) a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster can survive being being bludgeoned by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. It's not viable and therefore, not a fucking baby so stop using the word like a cudgel - it's a red herring. Get over it.
What you call a baby, more correctly a zygote, embryo or foetus depending on the stage of development does not once breath until it leaves the amniotic fluid. Certainly, it inhales - and even swallows - large amounts of the stuff, but its lungs do not exchange oxygen and CO2: that's breathing.
If abortion is murder (as you say) then you are also admitting to being accessory to that - on three occasions by your own admission. You may now go to jail, do not pass go and do not collect $200.
The truth sometimes hurts. You used your good looks to bed at least three girls, failed to take even basic precautions and then left them to suffer. I could almost understand one mistake - but three! Fuck me - don't ask for my forgiveness or understanding because you won't get it.
By like the argument over evolution, a personal favourite of mine, it's not really that simple.
Pro-choice advocates want every pregnancy to reach a natural conclusion - and if every pregnancy was healthy then maybe they have a point, but this isn't that simple.
Let's put aside the proactive birth control that you paid for (I guess rubbers were really expensive in your day) and consider just a couple of examples.
What about an ectopic pregnancy? Should we let that mature until the foetus gets so large that the mother's fallopian tube ruptures and she bleeds internally to death in agony?
What about Patau syndrome? Look at this!
Should we allow this pregnancy to continue until what you call a baby spontaneously aborts - or lives for a few hours and days in agony? That's a baby Gary! "A" is his "face" and "B" is a closeup on his eyes - if they can be called that.A 37 2/7 week gestational age male infant with Patau syndrome demonstrating alobar holoprosencephaly with cyclopia. A) Facial features included sloping forehead with a proboscis superior to a single central palpebral fissure. B) Close-up of the fused eyelids and proboscis showing a single nostril. C) Polydactyly showing six digits. D) Posterior view of the brain showing indistinct gyri, fusion of the hemispheres, and occipital encephalocele.E) Transposition of the aorta (A), and hypoplastic pulmonary trunk (P). F) Trisomy 13 [47, XY, +13] (karyotype by Giemsa-banding).
Chan et al. Diagnostic Pathology 2007 2:48 doi:10.1186/1746-1596-2-48
That's the choice - because like PI, it's not that simple.
UPDATE:
Therese in the comments has chided me (as is her absolute right) for pulling a particularly nasty example of Patau's and I agree with her that no woman should be forced to terminate any pregnancy. (Google for some more images if you can stomach them.)
Her own child is one of the rare survivors - and that's great. But Trisomy 13 is not just identifiable by blood-screening it can be visualised better than ever before on advanced ultrasound.
Yet I this isn't about Trisomy 13 - it's about choice; informed choice.
I am sick of being battered about the head by these lame "abortion is murder" arguments which rely on deeply held emotion and are invariably driven by religious belief. This unfortunate is the other side of that coin - if this poor creature had been terminated, would that have been better for mother and child alike?
Could you decide? Should you?
We should never, ever legislate the choice away: no matter how hard a choice it is, it's not ours to make.
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You've chosen to share the most SEVERE and the most RARE of the trisomy anomalies that come with Patau Syndrome / Trisomy 13. You've pulled the pathology photos/images which sole purpose is for teaching and in some cases "shock" value to serve your purpose that these lives should be disposed of.
ReplyDeleteHaving a child living with trisomy 13, (age 8 - cognitive level 1-2) I can tell you they are alot of extra work..but the JOYS do outweigh the sorrows.
This is her unique journey along with ours, much like anyone who has a serious car accident, stricken with cancer or has a life threatening disease. Each life is a miracle and has a unique purpose...
While typical children are most talked about in the topic of abortion, there is another side to this culture of death.
Advances in Medical technology allows us to test for anomalies, and poor prenatal syndromes.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/29/1b29sequenom00582-sequenom-hails-its-prenatal-diag/
There are many Living children with Trisomy 13 / Patau Syndrome - Families are told their child will die. That T13 is a "not compatible with life" diagnosis. That is outdated and misinformation. Some survive! - each child should be treated on a case-by-case basis.
Many of these families were urged to terminate these pregnancies. In some cases Pressured. Often Professionals want to withhold life saving procedures that would be given to a typical child without the genetic profile of trisomy 13. Some families were not given the option for any medical intervention. Yet without these life saving procedures their child will die.
There are also stories where the child was too severe and their time on earth will be short. Such as those with the Proboscis and Cyclopia.
http://livingwithtrisomy13.org/search.htm
We help families navigate through the pressure to terminate. Supporting them as they carry to term, and helping them to create their own precious memories with their child. http://www.livingwithtrisomy13.org
I'm mom to a beautiful special needs child (Natalia) living with trisomy 13.
Her love and smile are priceless.
While abortion is legal, it should not be imposed on any family through pressure or shock. Its a very sad day when only one side of any given issue is presented. If you want women to have a Real Choice--. Allow them to be Fully Informed on all sides of the many decisions that come with any poor prenatal diagnosis and the many options available to them along with the consequences that will follow on either side of this issue.
>This unfortunate is the other side of that coin - if this poor creature had >been terminated, would that have been better for mother and child alike?
ReplyDeleteWell, that image is a baby, with abnormalities. Not a creature. No doubt this child was loved and wanted before given this diagnosis. And I’m sure when the parents realized there were severe and life threatening malformations they were heartbroken.
No, I will disagree with you. What is needed is SUPPORT for parents when given this poor prenatal or post natal "shock" ....No parent expects their child to be born with abnormalities! My child was born with a cleft lip, extra digits and many of the Patau Syndrome/trisomy 13 anomalies.
We opted not to have the prenatal blood tests due to a false positive with another child and the pressure (even before we got the amnio results back) to terminate the child if there was a problem. The early ultrasounds did not pick up the visual abnormalities. So at birth we were shocked! "What happened!"-- is the first thing that came to my mind.. But the next was Immense Love and Compassion for this broken child. I did not love her any less, but instead more. She needed more love and it was the love that helped her in the early days I am sure. How many professionals told me not to HOPE, not to visit the NICU I can't remember, I lost track...especially that first year...Everyone wanted to be sure I knew she would die. This was my child, and she deserved the same respect I would give to any of my children if in a serious car accident, or stricken with a life threatening disease. My love and to keep her comfortable.
My answer to your question above is NO, support and education prenatally to help families embrace the time they may or may not have is healthier to the mother in the long run. Having memories of a child ripped from her womb (having to stuff those painful emotions for years), or loving a child in her arms? Having a child born feet first except the head (partial birth abortion) then the brains sucked out...or held in the loving arms of their mother? Kind of a no brainer! And if the mother does not have loving arms..there are many families who adopt these very special children.
>Could you decide? Should you?
Well --we have laws that allow this horrible act of killing. Whether its a typical child or special needs, its a horrible act upon a child.
I have a responsibility to help inform those who feel pressured to make this life altering choice--I feel empowered to help them get well informed on all aspects of their decisions so they can hopefully have no regrets. I'm just not sure how you can not regret killing your child..I do not thinks in all honesty its possible. The many justifications cloud and protect these women..but eventually they have to “get” what they’ve done.
Before allowing a teen, or women to abort a child, WE should have in place the resources for all women to view an ultrasound of the child within their womb. To view stories and photos of aborted babies, To view and hear stories of women who do not regret the decision/ and those who do regret that painful decision. And most important to read through ALL the documented POST ABORTION SYNDROME TRAUMA that will in many case follow.
I'm not pleased that my tax dollars help women kill.. But this is where were we are at with our wonderful global society... Those who fight to allow women to harm themselves and the life of the innocent. Its very very sad.
The pro-abortion sites like to share the Tammy Watts story http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2046/
Tammy aborted her Patau Syndrome child, late term... At the stage she terminated with the Partial Birth Procedure, her child could have been in her arms. Basically her child was born alive feet first and killed. I'm sorry this to me is so very sad, we have families who adopt these beautiful children. Even if her child was to die early, why kill? Another would have loved this baby.
>We should never, ever legislate the choice away: no matter how hard a choice it is, it's not ours to make.
Sadly, many women who go in for abortion have no idea of the life long consequences and emotional trauma they are bringing upon themselves... Its sad that so many want to continue to allow these women to harm themselves. Its a good day when someone stands up and shares the harm abortion brings. So I appreciate the blog you posted.
Sadly in California, the state I live in, a “child” can go have an abortion without their parents consent... Even if raped (date rape, incest, underage sexual activity)...no questions...any age... This is what you fight for? Do you have a daughter? Her maturity at age 12? Its all very sad. Do we not have a responsibility to help educate and protect those who wish harm on themselves and others?
Thank you for allowing me to share some thoughts..
I am another of those Moms with a child who is a long-term survivor of Trisomy 13. There are 85 of these "rare" survivors on the website ThereseAnn mentioned, and I know of many more people parenting children with T-13 who have found online encouragement on other sites and listservs. My daughter, Rebecca, is 22-years-old and has a Translocation form of Trisomy 13 (13q/15q). She can read (on about a 5th-grade level), has very nice handwriting, can calculate, tell time, prepare simple meals for herself, and enjoys many activities. She is a huge fan of baseball and plays on a team for special needs adults. Rebecca also attends a social club for special needs adults 2 to 3 times per week. She was born with several anomalies common to T-13 but was not diagnosed at birth, even though she was born in a very well known big-city hospital. This meant that Rebecca was given the tests, treatments, and surgeries that she needed without doctors trying to convince us that she would not benefit from them; or, worse yet, that they would be "wasted" on her. The site also has a Treasured Memories Album to honor the memory of those individuals who had T-13 and have passed away. All of the parents on the site, without exception, express appreciation for having been able to spend time with their child, whether for a brief or long period. The oldest person on the site with Full Trisomy 13 will soon be 27, and the oldest person with Partial Trisomy 13 is 49! All of these individuals are beloved by their families.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of being accused of relying "on deeply held emotion" or being "driven by religious belief," I'll share the song Rebecca told me was her favorite among the ones we sing at church. It says, "LORD, I offer my life to You. Everything I've been through, use it for Your glory. LORD, I offer my days to You, lifting my praise to You as a pleasing sacrifice. LORD, I offer You my life."
I remember when my husband ask me if I wanted to have a baby,, but I knew we had a problem, so we buy viagra after to prove all the benefits this medicine can give us. like a couples we talk everything, and now we finally have our kids. The last baby have a lot of blanked that my husband buy for him. I think he doesn´t know how to say happy he is in this moment.
ReplyDelete