It must have been a horrible moment. The Morbelli’s were expecting their first child, a daughter they already named Madison Leigh. Then, just a few weeks before her birth, they were told that their precious baby had some type of “fetal anomaly.” This can mean a wide range of conditions, some fatal and some not. Whatever news this young couple was given, it must have seemed so bad and so hopeless that they finally decided to go to an abortionist to end their daughter’s life seven weeks before delivery would take place.
So many questions come to my mind. What was this couple told about their baby girl? Were they told she was suffering, or would suffer after birth? Were they given little or no hope for her survival outside the womb? Did someone convince them, in the words of an abortion clinic website I just read, that they should “bring an end to their suffering so that healing could begin?” And, the biggest question of all: who in the world recommended that they go to Leroy Carhart, a man who has been proven to be a callous, irresponsible butcher of unborn children? Who has also been responsible for at least one other death and countless injuries to women?
It breaks my heart to hear how this adorable couple, along with her parents and sister, traveled to Carhart’s abortion clinic in Germantown, Maryland from their home in White Plains, New York. Carhart specializes in killing unborn children in the later stages by giving them a lethal injection into their heart, causing a massive heart attack (said to be a compassionate death. I don’t think adult heart attack victims would agree!) This was done on a Sunday. The next morning the family returned to have laminaria (a specialized sponge) placed in Jennifer to slowly dilate the cervix. They returned again on Tuesday and Wednesday for more procedures to bring on labor. Each night they returned to a local motel.
Finally, in the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 7, the family rushed Jennifer to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, Maryland. Shortly after, she coded for the first of six times, finally being pronounced dead at 10:00 a.m. Where was “Dr.” Carhart? Hundreds of miles away at one of his other abortion clinics, where he was barely even reachable by phone. Not that it would have helped anyway: Carhart did not have privileges at any of the local hospitals.
This case is garnering huge attention (not in the national press, or course) because the young mother tragically died. As sad as I am for this devastated family, the real travesty is that women are ever given this decision in the first place. What has happened to us that we not only allow babies to be given lethal injections, but families are pressured into making such horrible decisions in the name of compassion? Parents should never be forced to play God, choosing life or death for their unborn children. Years ago, I was horrified to watch the movie, “Sophie’s Choice” and the heart-breaking decision which was forced upon her as to which of her two children would live or die. What makes this any different?
Let’s get one thing straight: the death of an unborn child is NEVER a compassionate choice. Death is the destroyer of hope. It leaves no room for a physician to be mistaken, or for test results to be wrong, or for miracles to occur. How many times have you read about cases where children who were given no hope ended up with full and happy lives? Abortion ends all that. Even worse, it forces young, hopeful men and women to make that deadly decision out of misguided “compassion.” That any parent even has that choice is wrong and cruel.
As I’ve written in the past, there are now many organizations that provide support and care for parents who discover that their baby has a condition that may cause them to die at birth or to face life with deformities or disease. These groups lovingly support the family and prepare them for what might happen when the baby finally comes. If the baby dies at birth, he or she is cleaned up and laid in the family’s arms so that they can say good-bye. If the baby lives, they continue with the support the family needs to care for their child, no matter what the condition.
Is there still grief? Yes, of course. However, it comes without the guilt of knowing that the baby died because of the choices they made. From the cases I’ve read about, healing comes much quicker for those who did all they could and left things in the hands of God. Tragically, many doctors push their patients into fatal decisions because there is less risk to them or to the hospital. We all know how hard it is to stand up to someone like a physician, who is supposed to be the expert. And, under the increasing pressures of the mounting cost of medicine, this is just going to get worse.
My heart mourns for this young couple and their precious baby girl. As a grandmother, I also grieve for her parents, helplessly watching as both their granddaughter and daughter died a horrid death. From what I’ve heart about Carhart and his care of patients, I can’t imagine they weren’t horrified from the moment they stepped into his office. I can only hope that some good can come of this tragedy, and Carhart and others like him will not only be shut down, but be brought to justice for their crimes.
Keeping it true! Barb
Reblogged this on Loopyloo's and commented:
So unneed and such a waste of two lives that could have brought joy to those around them, instead bring sorrow. Hopefully we can spread this around and perhaps someone will not take the same step that this woman did!
This yet another tradgic episode of “Life and Death.” A most undeserving death. Whether from the baby’s view, or the now deceased mother. This was NEVER God’s plan for the world let alone citizens of the United States. My heart goes out to her family and the countless thousands of others who suffer in this same way….
THANK YOU. A wonderfully written, articulate and compassionate article.