twins at the center

A couple weeks ago, two volunteers and I were remembering something that had happened three years ago. The volunteer who does ultrasounds had offered to do an ultrasound for a colleague where she works. The colleague had just found out she was pregnant. It was discovered, through the ultrasound, that she was pregnant with twins. During the ultrasound, two of us who work there were invited to take a look. Seeing the 12 week twins and watching their antics, I was amazed and excited, as was the other person (who had never been able to conceive a child; she adopted 2 children). The mother, however, was freaking out. I figured it was just surprise and she'd be fine after the initial shock wore off. After all, she was married, white, upper middle class, already a mother of a 3 year old. She didn't fit the demographics of someone who would consider abortion. Five days later, she aborted the babies. I was told she'd convinced herself that there was something wrong with them and so thought she HAD to abort them. She miscarried another pregnancy shortly after and has been unable to have any more children since then.

We at the center grieved over what she'd done to two of God's precious ones. And, it became apparent, as we talked that day, 3 years later, that we're all STILL grieving. It was such a horrifying, sad result. The sonographer told us that her own mother, who is in her 90's, told her that the twins would have been toilet training about now. I can only imagine the pain the people closest to the situation must be experiencing if a person who hadn't even been there that day and had no natural connection to the mother or the twins was grieving. I can't help but wonder what it will do to the woman's son, when he finds out (and he will, one day...). I've read that siblings go through emotional trauma, wondering why THEY weren't aborted but their siblings were.

Yesterday was "Ultrasound Saturday" at the center, which happens twice a month. One of our longstanding clients, a mother of 6, came in. She's 6 weeks pregnant. Well, we may have uncovered twins on the ultrasound! There certainly was a lot of cardiac activity...the sonographer said it was like watching twinkling pac-men all over the place, which left me wondering if maybe it's triplets, which would be a first at the center. The client was advised to see her doctor ASAP because we can't diagnose such a thing. Oooh, boy...this is going to be a long 7 and a half months! This client suffers major depression when she's pregnant and needs lots of emotional support. Those of us who work at the center will gladly help with this, especially thinking about, and in honor and memory of, the twins who were murdered 3 years ago last month.

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 139. Here are verses 13-14 "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works!"

When I think about it, to think destroying God's handiwork is a good thing is so very misguided. And, I'm not even sure we can understand all the devastation this action creates in the world. Let's continue to work until everyone in the world understands that life is truly sacred and so abortion can be history, once and for all.