"Advise termination of pregnancy".(Brief Article)

Editor's note. This essay first appeared in the January 18 edition of The Times, the daily newspaper of Shreveport, Louisiana.

"Advise termination of pregnancy." These words were written on the medical records only a few hours after my wife had been admitted to the hospital having had four grand mal seizures within 48 hours. She had never had seizures before. We already had two children, a girl who was normal and a boy who was mildly mentally handicapped. We had only recently begun to think that she was expecting again. And now, this!

Upon entering the hospital, we told the medical personnel that she may be pregnant, to ensure that they would take all the needed precautions. The pregnancy was soon confirmed.

The neurologist, who was treating the seizures, called in an obstetrician to handle the pregnancy. It was during this transition that the words, "advise termination of pregnancy," came to our attention. Because of the seizures and the large doses of medicine my wife would have to take, there would be much greater chances of birth defects than usual.

The obstetrician never got the opportunity to give the "advice." Our decision had been made long before the problem faced us personally. This was a child inside her womb and was to be treated with all the respect and care that a human being could possibly receive. Life was a gift from God, and it was not to be disposed of just because it may not be perfect. We would face ...