moral concerns
By Grace Alone
O
n a cold, overcast afternoon in
January of this year, The 44 th
Annual March for Life took place in
Washington, D.C. It was my second
time attending the march, as I also went
in 2015. Since I'm originally from D.C.,
I was able to experience the march from
a unique angle.
It was a thrill to return to my
hometown and stay with a high school
friend for a few days — and it was
beautiful to see thousands of like-minded
people uniting for the cause of life. I got
a handful of interviews, and I'd like to
share two stories.
I
Christ-centered home in the suburbs of
Atlanta, Georgia, with her family active
in a non-denominational Bible church.
At age 4, she came to know Jesus Christ.
Rachel is now 18, looking healthy, and
radiating life and grace. She makes the
trip to Washington, D.C. to speak for
the unborn. I told her I'm from D.C., but
I currently live in Georgia. She thanked
me for making the trip. I said the pleasure
is mine.
“All life matters,”
Rachel says. “Great
or small, rich or poor,
healthy or unhealthy.”
II
Rachel was supposed to be aborted.
In 1998, at 24 weeks in the womb, she
was diagnosed with Trisomy 18. The
Trisomy 18 Foundation says this unusual
condition “can be life-threatening, even
before birth,” with a significant number
of stillbirths occurring in the second
and third trimesters of pregnancy. The
foundation goes on to say that “only 50%
of babies carried to term are born alive”
and that “10 percent or more may survive
to their first birthdays.”
Rachel's parents asked three doctors to
help them fight for their daughter's life.
All three doctors said, “No.” One doctor
said, “The best thing you can do is go
home and let your baby die.” Another
doctor said the only service he would
provide would be the autopsy.
Rachel's parents fought back with a
“No” of their own. They refused to abort
their daughter. At 26 weeks, Rachel was
born. She weighed one pound and two
ounces. She spent her first five and a half
months in NICU. Rachel grew up in a
no right to impose her guilt on others.
She said she shouldn't have to feel guilty
about her abortion just because Liz felt
guilty about hers. Liz had an answer for
the woman: “I'm here to speak for my
three children who were aborted.”
III
You've just read about women who
know the heartache
that surrounds the
practice known as
“abortion.” In one
story, a brave mom and
dad wouldn't give up on
their preborn daughter.
In the other story, a
mother repented of
the sin of abortion
and now testifies to
help others. In both
stories, the daughters
now go to The March
for Life as pictures of
life prevailing.
May God grant us to see the end of
abortion in our lifetime. Please pray to
end the murder of the unborn. As Rachel
says, “All life matters.”
“All life matters,”
Rachel says.
“Great or small,
rich or poor, healthy
or unhealthy.”
L i z g ave h e r
testimony for the first
time. At her first March
for Life, Liz and other
women took tur ns
speaking to a crowd. I
missed her speech, but
as she started to leave,
she gave me an interview.
“I'm here to honor my three aborted
children,” Liz said. Her fourth child
was the one not aborted. Grace is now
17, and she looks a lot like her mother.
It's by grace that we're saved for eternity,
through faith in Jesus Christ—and Jesus
Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans
3:24-25; Romans 10:9-13).
Liz and Grace, along with Liz's brother
Matt, came to the march from Atlanta,
Georgia. “I'm here because of the love
of Jesus,” Liz said. “It's been a surreal
experience.”
Liz encountered some opposition,
in the form of a woman who'd had an
abortion. The woman told Liz she had
Matt Haddad
(formerly pro-choice)
Moral Concerns Committee
September 2017
LIFE CHAIN
S unday , O ctober 1
2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
10701 Abercorn Street
(in front of the Southside Station Post Office)
MESSENGER
SEPTEMBER 2017
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