2 Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring...
The Scriptures express the concept of the absolute pleasure of bringing children into the world that He intends; we read in Psalm 127:
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
A teenager in Texas learned she was pregnant, and was considering having an abortion. According to Christian Headlines, referencing a story in the Washington Post: "The story noted that Alexander learned she was pregnant 48 hours before a Texas law went into effect that prohibits abortions if an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected. The story ran under the headline, 'This Texas teen wanted an abortion. She now has twins.'”
The young lady, Brooke Alexander, recently launched a GoFundMe page in order to try to raise $50,000. She says, according to Christian Headlines: "her husband is also 18 and recently left for basic training." She says, "I’m worried I won’t be able to provide for us,” she writes. “The funds will be used to buy diapers, wipes, formula, etc. We will also use the funds to help pay for bills such as my car payment, insurance payment, phone bill, etc. We are struggling to get by, and any donation helps. Thank you.”
Pro-lifers began to step up to help provide for the needs of the small family, including Lila Rose of Live Action, who, according to the article, "had been highly critical of the Washington Post for the article, calling it a 'cruel, condescending piece.'" She tweeted out: “You objectified her & her beautiful girls for your own pro-abortion ideology..."
Another Christian Headlines piece noted that the Post unwittingly made the case for life. For instance, again, referring to the Washington Post story:
The story included multiple photos of the twin babies, Kendall and Olivia, including a close-up picture of Kendall's tiny feet. It quoted a pro-life pregnancy resource center's warnings about the potential complications and side effects of abortion. It also quoted the woman's mom as calling the babies a "miracle from the Lord."
The Christian Headlines article said that: "The story described how her first ultrasound took place at a pro-life pregnancy resource center. The ultrasound was free. She took a free parenting class. Pregnancy center workers followed up with Brooke via text, although she decided not to go back." Brooke admitted that she would not have the twin babies without the Texas heartbeat law.
The Washington Examiner contrasted the Post story with another story that ran at LifeNews.com. As the writer, Esther Wickham, points out: same facts, but a different perspective. She says:
...the Washington Post titled their story, “This Texas teen wanted an abortion. She now has twins.” In contrast, LifeNews 's headline is “Texas Teen Who Wanted Abortion Now Blessed With Twin Babies: ‘A Miracle From the Lord.’” Both news organizations have the exact same story and facts, but it's clear to see which organization views the birth as a burden and which one sees it as a blessing.
Julia Duin at GetReligion.org had noted the Examiner report, and points out the Post story was written according to an agenda, portraying the crisis pregnancy center as a villain. She writes:
What is happening at this point, in terms of basic journalism that attempts fair-minded, accurate coverage of the views on both sides of this debate?
For example, this story was crying for a quote from an ethicist. Is aborting twins worse than aborting one child? Would Brooke have kept the pregnancy had there been only one baby? It’s never really clear if the Post interviewed workers at the crisis pregnancy center.
Duin concludes:
What was missing in this article was a basic question: If two lives are worth saving, why isn’t one?
She likes having her children now, inconvenient as they may be, but readers are told that she still mulls over whether killing them would have been the better option?
I know you can’t research every angle in a story, but there are so many holes in this story, so many unasked questions, so many missing voices.
And, as Duin also points out, Brooke had dropped out of school at 15, had engaged in sex outside of marriage early in their relationship, and her then-boyfriend had wanted her to have an abortion.
The Post apparently attempted to portray Brooke Alexander as a victim of the pro-life "villains" in the story; for them, it didn't matter. They showed unconditional love to her; regardless of those who would accuse pro-life people as being pro-birth, this saga actually paints a different, and more accurate picture. And, an observant Julia Duin also poses an important question:
...there’s a photo of the two children sitting in a stroller set made for twins while the father skateboards in the background. Such strollers are expensive and I’m guessing that the bride –- who wouldn’t even spend $30 for her own wedding dress –- didn’t buy it. So, who did?
Crisis pregnancy centers are quite generous with baby clothes and supplies and expensive things like strollers, for which they get zero credit. If the much-villified pregnancy center supplied such a nicety to the couple, I hope the reporter would have told us so.
Now, people who are pro-life are helping out by participating in Brooke's fundraiser. Because that's what pro-lifers do. Motivated by the love of Christ, there are those who believe in the sanctity of life, according to Scripture, who are devoted to saving babies, but also realizing that a crisis provides a perfect opportunity for people to come to Christ.
We also have to be cognizant of the agenda that will no doubt be on full display in the weeks and months to come. But, the love of Christ enables us to present a different story. As Esther Wickham notes in the Examiner story: "...you can't take away a right that was not yours to begin with," and says, "Alexander's story highlights what it truly means to give a voice to the voiceless."
Both articles end on very different notes, taking the same woman and story and producing very different versions of her life postpartum.
The Post story, written by Caroline Kitchener?
“Time to grab some lunch and head home; the babies would be hungry,” Kitchener concludes. The article ends by displaying this miserable teenager now stuck as a mother with burdensome twins. She could have been living a happy teenage life, child-free, if it weren’t for the Texas law.
But, the LifeNews story...
LifeNews concludes with Alexander saying, “I think they can smell me. And that makes me feel so special.” This features a young woman stepping into her newfound role as a mother. Even through the difficulties, she recognizes the babies' need for their mother and her need for them.We can consistently give God the glory for His wonderful gift of life, and continue to be devoted to saving the lives of the unborn, continuing to educate people, especially those who support abortion, about the science surrounding the subject, and display compassion toward women, their babies, and their families.
No comments:
Post a Comment