Pro-Life Page

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 6/3/14 10:42 AM

A shocking report from the new conservative news web site The Daily Signal is making the waves around the Internet today.

When it comes to premature babies, parents already face tremendous pressure to have abortions. And when the government comes in and tells parents of premature babies there is a new government study they can be involved with that will benefit babies born well before their normal delivery date, there is a certain level of trust one ought to be able to expect.

But, as the report states, that trust was grossly violated in what is nothing less than nonconsensual government experimentation on hundreds of premature babies.

Below is an excerpt from the report and LifeNews encourages you to read the entire news article:

Just 24 weeks into her pregnancy, Sharrissa Cook gave birth to a critically ill baby boy. Dreshan weighed in at a fragile 1 pound, 11 ounces. He lay motionless in the incubator, connected to tubes and monitors in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.

“He was so tiny,” Cook recalls. “I was a first-time mom. I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know what to expect.”

It was Oct. 11, 2006. Medical personnel asked Cook, then a 26-year-old single mother, to enroll little Dreshan in a study. She says they described it as a program offering assistance and encouragement to preemies—premature babies—and their families. She readily signed the consent form.

“I remember them telling me they were a support group who would pretty much hold my hand through the developmental process,” Cook says.

But in reality, the study was much more than that. It was a national, government-funded experiment on 1,316 extremely premature infants in which their fate may as well have rested with the flip of a coin.

Other single moms were among those persuaded to sign up their critically ill babies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital describe similar misunderstandings of the study’s purpose.

Bernita Lewis, then a 22-year-old student, says she enrolled her premature newborn, Christian, after medical personnel told her it simply was to gather data such as weight and height.

And Survonda Banks, then 21, unemployed and on public assistance, says someone handed her the consent form on her way in for an emergency C-section at 28 weeks of pregnancy. Banks remembers being told only that it was a way to help her baby, Destiny.

‘Parents Were Misled’

The government-backed study is called SUPPORT, which stands for “Surfactant, Positive Airway Pressure, and Pulse Oximetry Randomized Trial.” The experiment was conducted at 23 academic institutions from 2005 through 2009 under the National Institutes of Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

All three women now say they never would have agreed to take part if they had known the NIH-funded study’s true nature—to randomly manipulate preemie oxygen levels. They discovered that just last year.

Dreshan and Christian are now 7 years old and both struggle with myriad health problems. Destiny died within three weeks. The mothers wonder: Did the experiment contribute to any of the medical problems of their children?

“[Dreshan] was already at a slim chance of surviving; why would I make his chances of surviving more slim?” Cook asks.

Today, nine months after the federal government convened a public meeting to examine the subject, NIH and HHS officials have yet to propose a remedy to avoid a repeat of the controversy that erupted from the multiyear study.

BY ANUGRAH KUMAR, CHRISTIAN POST CONTRIBUTOR
June 1, 2014|5:43 am
The birth rate among American teens dropped last year to the lowest ever reported in the country, but the rate among older women rose, according to new federal statistics.

The birth rate for teens aged 15 to 19 dropped 10 percent to 26.6 births per 1,000 in 2013, a historic low for the nation, according to data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After a brief upturn in 2006 and 2007, the rate declined 36 percent since 2007, and 57 percent overall from 1991, the most recent peak, it says.

The number of births to teens also hit a new low.

The number of births to teenagers was 274,641 last year, also down 10 percent from the previous year and the lowest number of teen births ever reported for the United States. The number of births in 2013 was 38 percent fewer than in 2007, the most recent high, and 57 percent fewer than in 1970, the all-time peak year for the number of teen births.

Overall, 3,957,577 babies were born last year in the country, according to the data.

Follow us Get CP eNewsletter ››

"Certainly the drop in the teen birth rate is pretty astounding," Reuters quotes Carl Haub, senior demographer with the Population Reference Bureau, as saying.

The drop was likely due to educational efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and some economic factors as the rate began to fall dramatically during the recession that began in 2007, according to Haub.

"Young childbearing is becoming less and less accepted," The Wall Street Journal quotes Laura Lindberg, senior research associate at the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute, as saying. She attributes it to contraception, wider education and a broader societal shift away from having children at a young age.

"The historic decline has been driven by the magic formula of less sex and more contraception," Bill Albert, chief program officer at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, tells USA Today.

The data also shows that the birth rate for teenagers aged 10 to 14 was 0.3 births per 1,000 last year, down from 0.4 in 2012, an historic low. The number of births to mothers in this age group decreased 15 percent last year, to 3,108 births, the lowest number of births to this group ever reported for the nation.

However, birth rates among older women rose.

The birth rate for women aged 30 to 34 years was 98.7 births per 1,000 women in 2013, up 1 percent from the rate in 2012. The number of births to women in their early thirties also increased last year by 2 percent. The rate for women aged 35 to 39 years was 49.6 births per 1,000 women, up 3 percent from 2012, reaching the highest rate for this age group since 1963. The number of births to women in their late thirties increased 3 percent last year.

"We are going up the age ladder and have been for many, many years," adds Haub, indicating that women are perhaps opting to postpone childbirth to get higher education or establish themselves in their careers.

by Carole Novielli | LifeNews.com 

John Barros, who counsels outside a later term abortion clinic in Orlando has spoken to a woman who used to run an abortion clinic in the state.

John writes, “A lady stopped by Orlando Women’s Center today to see what we were doing. She confessed that she ran the All Women”s Health Center Abortion Clinic, for 10 1/2 years… She was absolutely amazed what was going on here.

She saw the Reformation Bible College kids as well as a couple others singing hymns and conversations going on with people coming for abortions. Terri also saw ladies that had come to Christ here and the Joy that was in their hearts… She Encouraged us all to never quit… I got to spend quite a bit of time speaking with her.She told how Randal Whitney worked for her and he hasn’t changed a bit….

She has repented of her sin and is in a Church… She is dealing with the consequences of her sin and there is much pain. I reminded her that “He who knew no sin , became sin that we might have the Righteousness of God” and that “thee blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” She said that she can’t do enough…. I told her none of us can but He did…

A Dear Friend is going to be working with Terri… Please Pray for her She did a little video here to encourage other Front Line people to not give up… There was so much more but to much to put on here… I know there is a temptation to some to want to find her and get all the dirt but please don’t… I think it is more important to see her get the help she needs than make you famous… Stay The Course Brothers And Sisters.”

The former worker said she praises God every day for getting her out of there and now attends a local church. She says that she now prays that the clinic workers will be encouraged to leave. She also said that she prays for the patients seeking abortions.

“Two weeks ago..I had a dream about that clinic…when I had nightmares was way at the beginning when we were doing procedures up to 22 or 23 weeks…and my girls that worked for me had nightmares,” she told John.

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 5/28/14 12:30 PM

Melissa Carleton, 39 is a modern-day hero. Her dreams of becoming a mother finally came true even if she wasn’t awake and aware when she gave birth to her adorable baby boy.

Carleton was so excited to be a first-time mom she could hardly contain herself. But sadly, just 10 weeks before her baby boy was due to arrive, Melissa suddenly slipped into a coma and has not been able to wake up since. Now that her son has been born, Melissa’s husband Brian Lande hopes his wife will wake up and finally be able to hold her son.

On Thursday, Melissa welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world via c-section even though she was 10 weeks into a coma.

“[Melissa]’s wanted to have a child for years,” Melissa’s father, John Farrell, toldABC News after his grandson was born. “Today, I can’t begin to tell you how happy we are. It’s indescribable.”

Carleton’s medical woes began earlier this year. She started to have unusual headaches after becoming pregnant. Doctors discovered a massive, benign tumor in her brain during her second trimester.

Carleton, a marriage and family therapist, wanted to put off brain surgery until after her son was born, but when she had a seizure in March, she was rushed into the operating room. Doctors successfully removed the mass, but the seizure left the 39-year-old in a coma. She hasn’t been fully conscious since March 11.

Help the family by going here.

From the ABC News story:

John Farrell’s pregnant daughter went into a coma 10 weeks ago, but today it’s not hard for him to be joyful. Today, he became a grandfather.

“She’s wanted to have a child for years,” he told ABC News. “Today, I can’t begin to tell you how happy we are. It’s indescribable.”

Carleton’s husband, Brian Lande, has barely left her side, according to ABC affiliate KFSN-TV.

“I know that being able to love this little guy is going to be a wonderful experience, but I also know it’s going to be very hard for me to know that I am going to be the one to hold this baby first,” Lande told KFSN-TV before the birth.

Although Carleton is in a coma, she’s able to open her eyes and squeeze her family members’ hands, Farrell said. And Thursday morning, just before surgery to give birth to her son, she was the most awake Farrell has seen her in weeks.

“In a few tender moments, she reached out to Brian, took his cheek, pulled his cheek down to her face and held it there,” Farrell said. “It was the first time she had hugged Brian since this trauma happened.”

 

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 5/26/14 12:26 PM

The government of Sudan is facing mounting international condemnation of its handling of Meriam Ibrahim and its decision to sentence the pregnant Christian woman to death for refusing to accept Islam.

An Islamic court sentenced Meriam, 27, to be flogged for adultery for marrying a Christian man and to be hanged to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.  Meriam is currently eight months pregnant with her second child, and has been imprisoned along with her 20-month old toddler since February. There are growing concerns about the health of her unborn baby.

Meriam is married to Daniel Wani, an American citizen who has ties to New Hampshire. Meriam was reportedly born to a Sudanese Muslim father and was raised as a Christian by her Ethiopian Orthodox mother.

For three months, the young Christian wife — now almost eight and a half months pregnant — has been shackled in a Sudanese prison on death row. Authorities, who refuse to recognize her marriage to a Christian man, have sentenced her to 100 lashes for adultery and execution for her faith.

Her frantic husband, who continues to plead with the U.S. Embassy for help, flew from New England to Khartoum to visit his wife, Meriam Ibrahim — and was beside himself to find her bound up and swollen. For now, authorities refuse to release his son to Daniel, because of his faith. Although the court gave Meriam days to recant her Christianity, she refused, saying, “I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian.”

Now, as the London Guardian newspaper reports, Sudan is facing heavy international criticism.

Governments, the UN and human rights groups have called on the Sudanese government to immediately release Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, and overturn both her death sentence and sentence of 100 lashes. More than 100,000 people have backed a call by Amnesty International to release Ibrahim.

Her lawyers have lodged an appeal against the sentence, which may be heard in Khartoum this week.

Ibrahim has been told that her execution will be deferred for two years to allow her to deliver and then wean her baby.

Her husband, Daniel Wani, who left Sudan for the US in 1998, has travelled to Khartoum to try to secure the release of his wife and son. He said Ibrahim was being denied medical treatment and he had not been allowed to visit her or Martin, according to media reports.

The Sudanese authorities have reportedly refused to release the child to his father’s care because of his Christian faith.

The UK government has summoned Sudan’s chargé d’affaires in London to the Foreign Office to hear its “deep concern”.

In a statement, Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds said: “This barbaric sentence highlights the stark divide between the practices of the Sudanese courts and the country’s international human rights obligations.” The Sudanese government must respect the right to freedom of religion or belief, he added.

US senators Kelly Ayotte and Roy Blunt have raised the case with the secretary of state, John Kerry, calling for “immediate action and full diplomatic engagement to offer Meriam political asylum and secure her and her son’s safe release”.

The department’s spokeswoman,, Jen Psaki, said on Wednesday the US was “deeply disturbed” by the case and called on Khartoum to respect the right to freedom ofreligion. The Canadian and Dutch governments have also expressed concern.

The UN has also urged Sudan to adhere to international law. “We are concerned about the physical and mental wellbeing of Ms Ibrahim, who is in her eighth month of pregnancy, and also of her 20-month-old son, who is detained with her at the Omdurman women’s prison near Khartoum, reportedly in harsh conditions,” said Rupert Colville of the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva.

Gabriel Wani, Daniel’s brother, who also lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, said Ibrahim was in poor physical shape. “Meriam is in a bad condition, she is eight months pregnant. She needs proper medical attention and she needs medical supplies. She’s bleeding and nothing is being done,” he told the Daily Mail.

“She needs to eat well but she is just getting the prison food. When she had her first son it was a very difficult birth, she lost a lot of blood. She is supposed to have check ups with the doctor but it isn’t happening. We are praying for a miracle.”

by Kristan Hawkins | Montgomery, AL | LifeNews.com | 5/22/14

Standing up for what you believe in isn’t always easy. Sometimes something unexpected happens, and it’s at that moment you will decide whether or not to change course or continue on. This Monday, our team received a phone call from one of our 17 year-old high school leaders in Alabama who faced that moment this weekend.

Ke’Ontai called us from the Emergency Room, saying he was going to be okay but he had a broken nose!

He had been out in his neighborhood park on Sunday passing out Students for Life’s Abortion is not Social Justice postcards, when one man started arguing with him about when life begins. He shouted at Ke’Ontai that his wife had just had an abortion because “that’s what they needed to do.”

And when Ke’Ontai tried to give him some post-abortion counseling material, the guy yelled that he didn’t want it, pushed Ke’Ontai down, and started punching him in the face.

After telling him to file a police report, we asked Ke’Ontai if he needed anything from our team.

His reply stunned me. Ke’Ontai said that while he had forgiven the man who assaulted him, he just wants pro-lifers across the nation to pray for the man and wife.

While our National High School Coordinator, Missy Martinez, and myself had a conversation with Ke’Ontai about handing out postcards with a buddy in the future to help protect him. I want you to know that Ke’Ontai won’t be letting this assault stop him.

He is a courageous, young man…one that I am proud to say that Students for Life has helped train and equip. And now, he is more motivated than ever to do all that he can in his school and community, especially his predominately African-American neighborhood, which, according to their own outrageous admissions, is targeted by Planned Parenthood.

While he was at home recovering from his assault, I asked Ke’Ontai to share his story… of how he become an abortion abolitionist and why he has courageously dedicated his life to restoring justice to the preborn and their mothers. This is what he had to say:

I was born in Tuscaloosa Alabama. I go to Central High School where most of the students are black.

One day on my way to a friend’s house, I passed by the abortion facility here in Tuscaloosa, and I saw a lot of people standing outside. At that time, I did not know what was going on. Some people were praying and others had signs that read, “WE ARE PRO-LIFE.” So, I turned around and stopped my car. I wanted to get out to see what was going on, but I was scared. I was just sitting in my car looking around, thinking, “What is going on?” As soon as my mom got home from work that night, I started asking her all kinds questions about abortion, which was something she know nothing about.

About a week later, I was with my brother at the University of Alabama, and I met Claire. She had all of this “Pro-Life” stuff with her and I asked her what it meant. She told me about this place where girls go and get their babies pulled out of them and thrown in the trash. I had learned the truth about abortion.

On my drive home, I was thinking about where I had first seen the word “Pro-Life” and then remembered that it those people must have been standing outside of the abortion facility. When I got home, I cried and told my mom that people were killing babies here in Tuscaloosa.

That night, I went on to Google to see for myself what was happening. When I finished my research, God said to me, “GET TO WORK.” And I did!

The next week, I went to school, and I tried to start a Students for Life group. But, I ran into a lot of roadblocks with the school administration  They would give be obstacles to get through and when I did what they asked, they would give me some more stuff to do. When I was got through all the roadblocks, the administration told me that I needed a teacher to be a club advisor. I went to every teacher at my school and none of them would do it. But, I didn’t let that stop me. Instead, I just worked with Missy at Students for Life and started a community group. Already we have hosted multiple events to educate others teens in Tuscaloosa about abortion.

This past Sunday, I was in a park handing out Students for Life’s postcards. A man stopped, and we began a conversation about abortion. He started to get upset. He yelled at me, slapped all my postcards out of my hands, and pushed me down. At that time, I did not know what to think. The guy was almost 350 pounds! Then he get over top of me and start punching my face. I was trying to get away from him, but I couldn’t get out from under him. I finally escaped and quickly drove home as fast as I could.

On Monday, I went to school and my principal sent me to the hospital because my face was beaten so badly. The doctor told me that I have a broken nose.

At first, I was mad, but then I realized that I cannot be mad at this man because I know that he did not hate me, he just did not want to hear the truth. I feel deep down inside that there was something more to his actions than what meets the eye. All I can do is forgive him and pray and love him the way God loves me.

Since Monday, many people have asked if I am going to stop doing my pro-life work because of what happened.

You want to know what I have been telling them?

When Jesus was on that cross, and they were beating him. He didn’t stop.

A federal court has blocked the Department of Health and Human Services from enforcing its birth control mandate on two Christian colleges, Dordt College in Iowa and Cornerstone University in Michigan, while their cases move forward.

The preliminary injunction was granted for three reasons, U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett wrote: 1) The plaintiffs, Dordt and Cornerstone, "may suffer irreparable harm" because "they would be forced to comply" with the birth control mandate "to the detriment of their religious exercise." 2) On balance, the plaintiffs would suffer more than the defendants. The worst that could happen if the government eventually wins the case is that the mandate would take a few extra months before going into effect. And, 3) the plaintiffs "are sufficiently likely to succeed on the merits."

The birth control mandate, issued by HHS as part of its implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," requires most employers, even most religious employers, to cover contraceptives, sterilization and some "morning-after" contraceptives that may cause an abortion.

Bennett wrote that he is waiting to issue a decision in the case because a similar case involving two Christian-owned businesses, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Woods, is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, whichheard arguments in the case in March. The outcome of that decision, due this Summer, will likely influence how he decides the case, or could make the suit unnecessary.

Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the colleges, praised the decision, arguing that religious colleges should have the freedom to behave according to their religious convictions.

"Christian colleges should remain free to operate according to their defining beliefs," ADF Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor said. "Under this mandate, religious employers have no real choice: they must either comply and abandon their religious freedom, or resist and be taxed for their faith. If the government can force Christian colleges to act contrary to their deeply-held religious convictions, then the government can do just about anything. The court was right to block enforcement of this unconstitutional mandate."

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 5/20/14 10:33 AM

News reports out today indicate the Christian woman sentenced to death in Sudan for rejecting Islam is being shackled by Sudanese officials despite the fact she is eight-months pregnant. The Islamic court is waiting until Meriam Ibrahim, 26, gives birth before carrying out the sentence but she is reportedly held in chains until then.

Ibrahim’s husband, U.S. citizen Daniel Wani, a Christian, tells CNN that she has been spending her days bound with shackles on her legs. He was able to visit his wife for the first time in prison yesterday.

“He originally was not allowed to see her until this week,” Tina Ramirez, executive director of Hardwired, a U.S.-based advocacy group against religious persecution, told FoxNews.com. “Once he was able to, she was shackled and her legs were swollen.”

Ramirez added that Ibrahim’s attorney is working on an appeal as international outrage over her persecution grows.

In addition, a statement from several attorneys associated with the Sudanese high court was released Monday, calling for an appeal of Ibrahim’s death sentence.

“The [Sudanese] government is afraid of the international attention,” Ramirez said. “They are paying attention and this [statement] is a sign of that.”

Ibrahim and Wani were married in a formal ceremony in 2011 and have an 18-month-old son, Martin, who is with her in jail. The couple operates several businesses, including a farm, south of Khartoum, the country’s capital.

Wani fled to the United States as a child to escape the civil war in southern Sudan, but later returned. He is not permitted to have custody of his son because the boy is considered Muslim and cannot be raised by a Christian man.

Ibrahim was convicted under the Islamist-run government of apostasy (the crime of renouncing or insulting Islam) punishable by death in some Muslim-majority countries.  According to news reports, lawyers representing her told Amnesty International that religious clerics in court had asked the 27-year-old Thursday if she would recant her faith, but she told them: “I am a Christian.”

Hours after a Sudanese court sentenced his pregnant wife to death when she refused to recant her Christian faith.

The death sentence issued to a woman who refused to renounce Christianity for Islam in Sudan is an “egregious violation of basic human rights,” Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees U.S. policy in Africa, said previously.

“This is an affront to religious freedom everywhere,” Smith said. “The refusal of the government of Sudan to allow religious freedom was one of the reasons for Sudan’s long civil war. The U.S. and the rest of the international community must demand Sudan reverse this sentence immediately.”

“Mrs. Ibrahim’s willingness to stand-up for her faith—even in the face of death—is a true mark of uncommon courage and bravery,” Smith said. “This case in Sudan mirrors a similar incident 18 months ago in Nigeria in which Boko Haram shot Habila Adamu, who refused to renounce Christianity just like Mrs. Ibrahim.”

Adamu, shot in the head and left for dead, was the only adult male Christian in his village to survive that November 2012 attack. He lived to travel to Washington to give riveting testimony before a congressional hearing Smith held in November 2013: “They asked me, ‘Are you ready to die as a Christian?’ he testified, “and I told them, ‘I am ready,’ but before I closed my mouth, they have fired.”

Smith has held a number of hearings on the Sudanese conflict, including a Feb. 26 hearing, “U.S. Policy Toward Sudan and South Sudan,” by the House Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee. It featured lead witness Donald Booth, Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan from the U.S. State Department, as well as the human rights organizations the Enough Project, Transatlantic Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism and Amnesty International USA.

by Sarah Terzo | Buffalo, NY | LifeNews.com | 5/19/14 9:39 AM

Buffalo, NY (LiveActionNews) — A teenager went through a harrowing ordeal at an abortion clinic on May 16, according to well-known pro-life activist Abby Johnson.

According to status updates posted on Facebook, Johnson, who told the story of her pro-life conversion from Planned Parenthood director to dedicated pro-lifer in her bestselling bookUnplanned, received an emergency phone call from the mother of a pregnant fifteen-year-old she had been counseling.

Johnson described how the girl, who had changed her mind about having an abortion, was held against her will in a locked room at an abortion clinic. She explains:

I have had contact with this 15 year old young woman for several weeks. I was put in touch with her by a prolifer in the Buffalo area who was hoping I could share my experiences with her. Her mother does not want her to have an abortion, but is not mentally stable. Her boyfriend is really pushing her to abort.

Please be in prayer that this young girl will feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as she navigates through this journey. Also be in prayer for the local prolifers who are working with her directly. This is a difficult situation, but we know that God is in control.

It is not unusual for the partner of a pregnant woman to pressure her into abortion – in fact, one study showed that 64% of women who have abortions feel they were pressured into them, usually by their male partners. Johnson explained:

She went to the Buffalo Women’s Services tonight for an ultrasound only. As a 15 year old girl, she is very swayed by the opinions of her boyfriend…who does not want her to have anything to do with the pregnancy center in her area. It is not uncommon for private abortion clinics to see patients late at night.

In fact, here in Austin, we have a doctor that starts his abortion procedures sometimes at 10pm. She asked to see her ultrasound and the clinic absolutely refused. She decided then that they were obviously not interested in helping her and told them that she wanted to leave. They would not allow her to leave the room she was in and locked the door. Her mom started freaking out in the waiting room demanding to see her daughter. At that point, her mother was removed from the facility.

It was at this point that she started texting me and the prolifer she has been working with. Both of us called the police and they arrived shortly. Cheryl, the local (and amazing) prolifer drove to the clinic and the young girl was released in her custody for the weekend. The clinic where this girl was being held is the same one who is opening a “birth center” inside the abortion facility.

Some people may wonder why the girl did not call the police herself. A young teenager might find it intimidating or scary to call the police in such a situation, or may not have the perspective to think of it. It might be far more likely for her to reach out to people she knows and trusts, and who, because of their ongoing encouragement, she knew would help her.

The situation ended happily. Thanks to the actions of Johnson and the other pro-lifers, and the intervention of the police, both the girl and her baby are safe.

This shocking story shows how far some abortion clinics will go to pressure women into having abortions.

Johnson has asked all her followers to pray for the pregnant teen, who has not been named.

by Katie McCann | Columbus, OH | LifeNews.com | 5/16/14 5:16 PM

About a month ago, a leader from our chapter Medina County Right to Life told me about a local couple who were told to selectively abort or “reduce” their pregnancy by two or three children. Leann Alferio, the mother, was carrying quintuplets.

Medina County Right to Life put me in touch with Leann who told me her inspirational story about resisting this recommendation, and seeing all five of her babies through to birth.

One thing was clear about her story: The pregnancy was troublesome–but mostly because of the terror that ran through Leann and her husband, Jacob, during their very first ultrasound appointment. This terror came with just a few words from the doctor: “Leann, this is bad–really bad.”

On her blog, Leann recounts:

I obviously thought the worst…there wasn’t a heartbeat, I wasn’t actually pregnant, I had miscarried…in the few seconds of silence that followed her words my mind raced with all the possibilities of what could have gone wrong.

“There are 5″ she said.

I don’t think i completely understood what she meant by that until she was several minutes into her spiel about how a woman’s body is not intended to carry five babies.  She warned us of the risks of mental retardation, cerebral palsy, premature birth, and all the other possibilities that expecting parents never want to hear. She left us with the recommendation to look into fetal reduction and take it into serious consideration.

As disheartening as this appointment was, Leann and Jacob followed through the pregnancy with both determination and faith:

Before we had even gotten to the car after leaving the appointment we had both decided-without any doubt or debate–we were keeping all five.  Although the medical field may call it fetal reduction, we saw it as abortion. God had given us five for a reason and we did not feel it was our position to choose which ones would survive and which ones would not.  If nature believes that five fetuses are too many for a woman to carry then it will take care of that problem on its own. Otherwise, we were preparing for an emotionally challenging road ahead but knew that as long as we had each other we could do it! We considered them each to be a blessing.  

Despite her determination, Leann went to each following appointment terrified. Though she changed doctors and her body handled the pregnancy well, she consistently had high blood pressure because of the stress inflicted by her first appointment.

The support of her family and friends throughout her pregnancy enabled the couple to stay positive throughout their pregnancy. Today, the quintuplets, Kensley, Brooklynn, Leighton, Giovanni, and Jade, are thriving. The Alferios can’t imagine life without any single one of them.

Leann recognizes that her doctor had a duty to tell her about the risks of carrying quintuplets. But the insistence on the down side of this pregnancy seems to have been the source of her stress throughout her pregnancy.

While we always have to have compassion for the women and physicians who are in the position of trying to preserve the life of the mother, I think that there’s something to be said for the constant struggle of the medical field to improve practices so that both the lives of the mother and the child can be saved. That’s what the history of the cesarean section is all about.

Stories like Leann’s provide hope for a better, more ethical medical history that strives to protect all life in the most difficult of circumstances.