While having coffee with a good friend today, she was sharing with me how her daughter was working on her capstone project for high school. I thought this would be a great time to share my first experience with capstone projects.
About 5 years ago I was introduced to what capstone projects are by my niece. I thought I would share what she wrote about and what she had learned in the hours and weeks she spent on studying, observing, actually coming along to our daughter's appointments with her specialists, presenting her case to a mock jury, and having an evening where all the students in her class had all their information pertaining to their projects on display in the high school gym. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My family felt honored to have her choose Meggie to take part in her project.
In a world that struggles with where to stand when it comes to life, we need to ere on the side of caution... we are not the creator of life, rather the designated caregivers of the lives entrusted to us. We will all be held accountable for life in the end; therefore make it your (greatest) life's goal to uphold life with the utmost respect.
~ Wendy Eckwielen
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"I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murdered by the mother herself."
--
Mother Teresa
2/3/06
Capstone Project
Alison J.
My dear cousin Meggie was born on the sixteenth of November. At birth she had many brain complications. Before she was born the doctors had suggested abortion. They told my aunt and uncle that Meggie would have disabilities, not knowing how may and how severe, and that it may be a good idea just to abort her, however my aunt never considered it for a second. Once she was born I remember visiting Meggie at one time in Children's Hospital in Milwaukee and seeing her laying in her crib with all sorts of tubes and monitors,(she was sick with meningitis). I had visited many newborn cousins in the hospital but never had they been in such serious condition as Meggie. And even though my aunt and uncle had so much to be sad and anxious about they never complained yet instead praised God for their beautiful new daughter, Meggie, and trusted in Him. My aunt and uncle, have been and continue to be an incredible witness to me. They've shown me that even though Meggie is very different from other children, and even their other children, she is a gift and blessing of God.
In the world of obstetrics life and its value truly in in the eye of the beholder. One family given a beautiful healthy child may deem it a mistake, and terminate it whereas another family, given a child with special needs, anticipates his/her coming and loves them unconditionally. In my personal experience this family was my aunt and uncle. My cousin Meggie was born with many debilitation's, one being Septal Optic Dysplagia Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (SOD ONH), congenital absence of the corpus callosum and hydrocephalus, a build up of fluid in the brain ventricles. Along with these main characteristics Meggie has a pituitary deficiency and epilepsy.
There are many different attempts made to characterize this disease however there are so many manifestations and levels of severity. Two children may both be born with SOD however their disabilities may be very different. It all depends on when the abnormal development occurs. As with many brain disorders, SOD is considered a syndrome and not a discrete diagnosis. No distinct cause of the disease can be identified leaving doctors with possible causes. The most recent evidence suggests that most cases occurred from an intrauterine event and not a genetic defect. These two areas are both being studied, environmental factors and genetic inheritance. At present there is no cure for SOD ONH. The treatment is now all purely symptomatic. Meggie's disabilities can be treated but will never be cured. Had she not been born to loving and caring parents such as my aunt and uncle, Meggie could have became another statistic of abortion.
In the battle between pro-life and pro-choice Christians are waging war everyday yet in our present world Christians seem to be on the losing side. Anyone from teenage prostitutes to wealthy businesswoman is terminating the lives of their "illegitimate" or unwanted children because they simply did not have it in their plan. Mother Teresa quoted, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you live as you wish". Mother Teresa could not have said it better. Abortion puts the rights and needs of the mothers and fathers significantly above the child's with out even considering it's right to life. As quoted above abortion could be considered one of "The greatest destroyers of peace" in its act of terminating lives of children that are miracles of God because they have special needs. These kids are just as it says, special. They have something to offer us that no other child can but some choose to simply get rid of them. As a Christian entering the medical field I know I will constantly be facing tough questions of ethics and will need to prepare myself for how I will deal with them. By taking on this issue I will better prepare myself to deal with situations, from the point of God's word.
Throughout my research I spent time with many sorts of individuals getting a real world feel for what it is like to have and care for a child with special needs and how they feel about abortion of them. Although some answers I received were shocking, they certainly reflect the overall American lack of value for life. In this project I hope to open the eyes of parents and teenagers alike to see what it is like to have a child with special needs but most importantly I will show how children like my cousin Meggie are a blessing and miracle from God, not despite their disabilities, but because of them.
Approximately 1,370,000 abortions occur annually in the U.S. and 43% of women in the U.S. will have had at least on abortion by the time they are 45 years old (as cited by Melody Drnach, 2006). In the country where freedom reigns and all are given the right to "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness" millions of babies are being murdered every year, every day, every hour. But not only are we aborting healthy babies but it has become socially unacceptable to not abort your child if it has been diagnosed with "special needs". Doctors and researchers alike are pushing more and more for testing of babies before they are born. Recently a report in MSN Health and Fitness there are new tests using amniotic fluid and maternal blood to detect genetic problems without becoming too invasive. "Their ultimate goal was a method of separation out fetal DNA and then pinpointing specific mutations." (Gordon, 2006) Another test is the Alpha Fetal Protein test. This tests the maternal blood at five months of pregnancy and is Solly for the purpose of determining if the baby has downs syndrome or spina bifida. Now that doctors have these two types of tests they are more readily able to abort special needs children more efficiently. The adoption network put it this way, "Where are all the handicapped babies here in the states?" The answer is in Heaven. No, they are not waiting to come to earth as unborn children, but murdered in the womb." In 2000 1.3 million American women obtained abortions, producing a rate of 21.3 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. (Guttmacher Institute, 2000) Teen pregnancy and promiscuity of our country has hit an all time high. Approximately 822,000 pregnancies occurred with women between the ages of 15 and 19 in the year 2000. (Guttmacher Institute) Put this in combination with the drug and alcohol abuse and one finds many "oops" babies that serve as a huge percentage of the babies aborted. However the women at highest risk for resorting to abortion are those of college age. Many college counselors and professors tell the women that pregnancy alters their thinking, reading, and ability to write. Some colleges even offer $300.00 loans for abortions however there is no financial aid offered for young women who give birth. (Foster, 2002)
These statistics reflect the actions of the county as a whole, yet I see this type of attitude with those I come into contact with day to day. A co-worker of mine had one normal baby and then gave birth to a baby with a similar condition to Meggie. The baby lived for about five months and then passed away. After being genetically tested it was found that her and her husband both had the recessive gene for that diseases and had a five percent chance of having a normal baby. She said they took the risk and got pregnant again but if the baby was severely impaired she would, beyond a doubt, have aborted the baby because it did not deserve to live. My question to her was who are you to determine whether or not it deserved to live? She had no response.
To get a real world feel for what it is like to have a child like Meggie, I tagged along with her to a doctor appointment at the geneticist and professor, Dr. B. When asked about how he felt of abortion of children such as Meggie he responded as follows, "With respect to abortion I feel very strongly that physicians should not decide this for patients". Each family has the right to decide for themselves what is right. Each family and each problem in a fetus is different, some are severe problems and some are mild. It is the responsibility of the physician to provide all that is known about the fetal abnormalities to the family and to support that family's decision with respect to pregnancy termination. It is wrong for a doctor, government or you neighbor to decide what is best for you and your family. Although he was not wildly pro-choice he still does not condemn the act of abortion. His quote shows the way expecting mothers could be influenced by their doctors.
So how does all this happen? What is the root of the problem causing so many mothers to deem their children "no good?" Although abortion is a current affair it has been an issue for quite some time. Looking back, Aristotle, in politics, reflected the acceptance of abortion in ancient Greek society: "...When couples have children in excess, let abortion be procured before sense and life have begun." In On the Soul, he distinguished between a) the nutritive/vegetative soul, characteristic of plants, b) the sensitive soul, which many animals have, and c) the intellectual/rational soul, which human beings have (alone among the animals, in his view). He believed that the human embryo/fetus first develops a)the b), the c). Aristotle's views were later cited by many Christian writers, notably Thomas Aquinas (Politics, book V"II, ch.16)
From roughly 1865 to 1960, many American states enacted legal restrictions on abortion. During the 1960s, about a third of the states liberalized their laws and now in 25 states as recently as 1972, abortion was only permitted when necessary to preserve the mother's life. (Rosenfield and Kunins 130ff.) Worldwide, in India abortion is permitted in cases of rape, danger to the mother or in cases of mental deformity. They say they abort them in order to have "compassion for the child's physical or mental suffering," thereby determining the value of that child's life. (Perry 2000, pg 6)
Serrin M Foster, author of "Women Deserve Better than Abortion" says that statistics show primary reasons that women with unintended pregnancies turn to abortion are lacking of financial resources and of emotional support. (Foster, 2006, pg1) According to former Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop the most common reason for abortion is convenience. Only three to five percent of all abortions performed are for reasons of rape, incest, the possibility of a deformed child, or severe threat to the life of the mother. (Cole, 2004)
A nation wide poll done in Germany gave the following results: We asked for the cause of their unwanted pregnancy some said "not being careful" (28%), oral contraceptives pause (11.1%) unprotected intercourse (10.6%), irregular use of the pill (5.8%), intolerance of the pill (2.9%) and pill failures (2.4%). But when asked what the reasons were for ending the pregnancy they said not wanting any more children (35.3), incomplete professional training (31.9%) or crowded living conditions (11.6%); health and age were cited by only 12.5%. The people polling came to the conclusion that "emphasizing the importance of contraceptives and family planning" should be a plausible solution. (Zentralbl Gynakol, Pub Med, 1997).
Pastor Steve Cole gave three points as to why abortion is biblically wrong. First he says human life is unique to God because we were created in his image. In Genesis 1:26, God distinguished humans from the rest of the animal creation. Only of man did God say, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." Second the Bible clearly forbids the shedding of innocent blood. The Bible clearly commands, "You shall not murder" (Exod. 20:13). Finally prenatal human life is fully human and thus precious to God. As it says in Psalm 139:13-16, "For you created me in my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful I know that full well."
So one may ask now, is there really any solution to this issue? Can we really make a worthwhile effort against abortion of special needs children or of any children? Yes we can make an effort. There will never be a complete solution to this issue but there are small individual things we can do to slowly yet surely minimize abortion.
First there is continual research being done on diseases like Meggie's that bring their condition to light. These researchers dedicate their careers to children just like Meggie to make their lives better and to give them a brighter hope. Doctors like Dr. K., Meggie's neurologist, is one of the doctors giving Meggie hope. Not only do the doctors give Meggie hope and a brighter future but they help parents see the awesome value in a life such as Meggie. When these men devote their professional careers and dedicate such care and compassion, their patients as well as all observers, such as myself, and see and appreciate the importance of these children. I tagged along with Wendy and Meggie to this appointment and met Dr. K., He was incredibly kind and caring with Meggie and displayed the exact attitude mentioned above. You could tell he genuinely cared for his patients - a true inspiration for all pursuing medical careers. When asked how he felt about abortion of children such as Meggie he said that Meggie is a beautiful blessing of a daughter and that his life would not have been the same had Wendy and Brad aborted her. Dr. K. never said he was anti-abortion but he showed a very loving and gentle spirit of compassion for his special needs patients.
Second there is always the option of adoption. Christian organizations such as Bethany Christian Services "Manifest the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by protecting and enhancing the lives of children and families through quality social services." (site) When I contacted the supervisor of the Wisconsin branch, Georgia Mixdorf, about adoption of specifically special needs children she replied, "I can tell you that Bethany finds homes for any child with special needs. We have placed babies with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, Downs Syndrome, those exposed prenatally to drugs and /or alcohol, and extremely premature babies... In my 20 years at Bethany, we have never turned any baby away. Some women have come to us requesting adoption for their baby because tests have been wrong, and those babies have been healthy. Some have special needs such as cleft lip... I can confidently say that there are adoptive homes for any baby regardless of the disability. So a woman who does not feel she can care for her expectant child because of the child's special needs has the option of placing her child for adoption instead of having an abortion." It is Christian organizations such as Bethany that are putting out a Christian witness.
Finally, a great solution to the act of abortion of special needs children is to meet these children face to face. Meet them and fall in love with their personalities that are incredible gifts of God. Daniel Allott was a man that had such an encounter. While in college Daniel got a chance to work with a man named Rick. Rick was a severely retarded man who had been deaf, speechless, and confined to a wheelchair since birth. Daniel was able to spend one year with Rick and within this year Daniel said "Rick taught me some important life lessons. He showed me the meaning of genuine, mature, and self-giving love. He taught me what it means to be human." Daniel mentioned that Rick was constantly filled with this warmth and compassion that attracted all those around him, to himself. Daniel made an important observation about the disabled, that "We must celebrate their lives with them, not look upon them with sad eyes, but let them know they are a source of joy to others." Instead of looking upon the disabled with judging and unloving hearts we should try to meet, spend time with, and love the disabled for in time they may "help us discover our common humanity, liberate us from self-centered, disordered notions of love and begin the process of truly becoming human." (Daniel Allott, Valuing the Vulnerable, 2005)
I am pleased to say my niece went on to college to become a nurse, she is a wonderful compassionate person and any patient would be very fortunate to be in her care.
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