Mom, Thank You for Choosing Life!

By Hannah Goodwyn
CBN.com Producer

CBN.com – My name was supposed to be Benjamin Isaac. Mom and Dad had the name picked out for their baby boy. To my parents surprise, a little baby girl was born that day some 28 years ago.

Mom told me about this long ago, but it wasn’t until a little while back that I learned of a secret about my birth. During her pregnancy, my mother’s doctor urged her to abort me. Hearing this news, I felt a deep jolt in my soul as I pondered the idea that I almost never was.

My Almost-Never-Was Story

Still in shock, I listened to our story. This is what she said…

I was in my first trimester when my doctor decided to do a maternal blood screening test to check for possible birth defects. I had the test done and it came back positive confirming a higher than normal possibility of serious birth defects. Then, the doctor told me there was still time for a therapeutic D & C (Dilation and Curettage), in other words an abortion.

Even as my mother spoke these unbelievable words, I couldn’t wrap my mind around what she was sharing with me. Why would this man of medicine urge my mother to end my not-yet-realized life?

She continued...

He stated all of the possible defects, such as neural tube defects, Down syndrome, and other chromosomal defects.

Time seemed to stop as she recalled the long list of projected ailments I would have to deal with once I was born.

Mom said...

I don't know if I was shocked or stunned at first. I didn’t know what to think, so I left the doctor’s office to figure out what to do. I called your Dad. We quickly decided this was not up to us, but that our baby-to-be and our lives were in His hands. We both felt that God alone has the understanding and wisdom to know when a life begins and when it ends. Right then, I made God a promise. It was a promise He soon tested. Keeping me faithful to my word, God took your little brother Nathan James to Heaven.

I became pregnant when you were 5 months old. Another doctor ran the same tests on Nathan and the results came back positive – again. Dad and I were calm though because we knew God would make a way for us. That December, I started bleeding and the doctor ordered me to rest. On the way home from the appointment, my condition just got worse. My nurse friend Nancy took me to the emergency room and they admitted me at once. That night, I passed a large mass, which they said was our baby. Tests showed that it was a boy with numerous birth defects. The doctor encouraged us to mourn him and name him as if he drew breath. Doing that helped us heal.

Although it was painful to lose a son, Mom shared that she clung to the fact that God knows what He’s doing. Nathan would have lived an unbearable life, and in His mercy the Lord spared him that pain.

Despite the bad report from the doctor, I was born healthy. My mom’s trust in the Lord spared my life. In fact, each of us five kids had health problems promised to us. One of my younger brother’s was even preliminarily diagnosed with spinal bifida, which by God’s grace and through the faithful prayers of my parents and countless others, he has never experienced. We are all healthy, thriving adults today.

With God in charge, it doesn’t matter if your child may have birth defects or if you do not think you can handle being a single parent. God alone knows the future – what you can handle and the life that can be lived if you give your baby a chance, as my mom did with me. I'm so glad she did.