I am sharing publicly some very bad personal news. Two weeks ago, my granddaughter Daisy Adelaide was taken from us. She was scheduled to be born on Sunday, August 24th, and unfortunately, on Friday, August 22nd, her heart stopped. Therefore, I feel that I am compelled to address an issue no one wants to “really” discuss. The rights of the unborn.
Unfortunately, this is a discussion we need to have as a nation. Are we going to elect people who I believe have no value for life? Why is the entire Democrat party lined up in support of murdering millions of unborn children? Forgive me. I am grieving for the loss of my little grandbaby, and I realize that this may sound crass or hardnosed. But what I have learned is that there are people who value life so little that they are compelled to destroy it without explanation.
Supreme Court Dobbs Decison
I agree with the Supreme Court Dobbs ruling only because Roe v Wade was a bad decision, a belief shared by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
The Supreme Court sent the right-to-life decision back to the states for consideration, and having these decisions is in line with our Constitution. But for Democrats, this is unacceptable.
This has made the left outraged for the last five years. While even the great liberal justice Ginsberg felt it was bad law, the progressive liberals believe that every win is a small move forward to their ultimate goal; they do not believe in setbacks. Then they show their true colors. By going on a rampage, like spoiled children threatening to do violence, they shut down commerce, screaming about the injustice of it. The decision did not remove abortion totally, it moved the decision to where it belongs: back the people.
Since then, the Supreme Court has become the focal point of their upset, from removing justices to threatening their homes. This is appalling. This is where the left has traditionally attempted to change our society. Not by using the laws but through the court system to enact laws by unelected judges instead of the legislature with legislation that could never pass. Unfortunately, this is not quite as democratic as the left would have you believe .
The new verse from Democrats is that Republicans packed the court. However, these openings occurred and were filled during the term of President Trump. Packing is changing the rules by creating more justices while they are in power, which is what they proposed. If not for a few Senators who believe in Democracy, this would have happened. As President Obama said, “Elections have consequences.” Democrats should learn to heed their own words.
Understanding Of Issues:
There are some who seek to abort children because of the inconvenience and the timing of their appearance. We lost Daisy, and her brief presence around us made us realize how valuable life was to us.
We do not want our grief to mute the celebrations of those around us. We want to try to celebrate her life along with others born that day or the next. Reminding all of us and our friends how fleeting life can be. Above all, how precious a gift their life is to all of us. My granddaughter died one day before we were scheduled to meet her for the first time. I will never forget the anticipation. And the grieving for her loss continues.
The same day my granddaughter died, my daughter-in-law’s lifelong best friend gave birth to her son, and my wife’s best friend’s daughter was born that day. Most notable is that a premature baby born after 23 weeks of gestation, and a mere 53 oz, was sent home on this day as well. Aiden was a premature baby who spent five long months in the NIC unit, and on August 23, 2024, he was allowed to go home to start his life.
This should have been a once-in-a-lifetime celebration for all of us. To be able to celebrate life beginning all on the same day. Unfortunately, it was not a celebration for us. Making everyone’s coming home seem all the more precious and important. For us, it was mourning a life that never was and a hope that she is living proof of what life means to us. For the others who went home, it most certainly was the greatest moment in their short lives.
For us, there is no grudge over the start of their lives, only hope for their success. We are a reminder for one another – a reminder of life. Three lives started on the same day, while one life tragically ended on August 23, 2024. While one is mourned, it puts into perspective that all life must be celebrated.
MY GRANDDAUGHTER
Daisy Adelaide was born and died on August 23, 2024. She never got the chance to experience the love of her mother, father, sister, and brothers, as well as the love of her grandparents. But we got the chance to hold her for a brief moment and then say goodbye. Our lives must continue without her. Daisy Adelaide was a perfect soul who did not need to experience heartbreak. We will never forget her. We believe, that she is our personal Angel, helping God to do great work.
How do we reconcile this? In my mind, I see God, and I attempt to put all of this into perspective for us, the living. The answer can be found in the words compassion and faith. What does a life mean, how precious is a little life that never started? I have no doubt that losing a child in any month of pregnancy, especially on the final day, is devastating. But until you’ve experienced it, nothing could ever prepare you for the sorrow. Maybe my experience and those around me can change the mind of a single person who is contemplating stopping life in its tracks.
I AM RIGHT TO LIFE
I believe in life. The life of a child is the MOST precious gift ever given to us. What we do with these gifts is our test. We can have a child and find a home for it, we can have the child and raise it, or we can terminate the child because we feel it is a nuisance or an inconvenience to our lives.
I understand that teenage pregnancy is a whole different story; I understand the pressure put on them and their families, how they could feel abandoned by usually selfish men, or older men, who wash their hands and walk away. They may feel there is no place to go, and wonder how they could raise a child. But this group, while we hear the rhetoric spewed by the pro-choice movement, is less than 7% of all abortions. These are women caught up in the moment and believe there is no place to go. However, if they search, there are answers that can get them through and bring life into the world. Yet they choose not to do so.
Options: Adoption and an Opportunity to Meet Years Later
In my life, my aunt, over sixty years ago, chose to have a child and give it up for adoption. She was not married and had nowhere to go. She gave the baby up for adoption. Our cousin Camille searched for her entire life for a family she never knew. Thanks to 23 and Me, ten years ago, we met our cousin Camille for the first time and welcomed her into our family with a celebration. We celebrated her new part in our lives, and she has been with us ever since, sharing friendships with the entire family. Three years ago, Camille’s daughter Lisa brought her daughter into this world.
Abortions Rhetoric
However, when an adult agrees to take the life of a living being, it is hard to feel sorrow for them. If they feel they want to abort a child, simply as a normal matter of birth control, I find that heartbreaking. Why? Because it is inconvenient to their ordered lives. This makes no sense to me. To say that they are PROUD that they stopped the life of a precious soul. Makes me cringe!
I understand that it is their decision, and each of us needs to deal with the consequences of our actions. There is no doubt that we do what affects us. In life, we sometimes do the right thing, and we sometimes don’t. But to believe it is perfectly fine to remove a life from this planet, that they can ignore life inside of them, makes no sense to me.
Yet the rhetoric about the lives of those who are unwanted is utterly heartbreaking. Looking at the statistics, abortions are happening at the same time that most mothers are attending their first sonogram, at a time when most abortions would have already happened. Witnessing a heartbeat growing is the sign of life. According to the CDC, most women terminate their pregnancies by the 9th week. It is inconsistent with who we are as a nation to look at those numbers.
Where abortions occur from 15 to 22 Weeks are predominantly older women, professionals from the age of 21. These are those who should know better. These are not accidents. The debate about aborting a baby is not what we have been told. It’s not about teen or youth pregnancies, rape or incest. You find the majority of rhetoric happens to take your eyes off of the statistics. The majority of abortions take place for women who are over 21 and single, which is over 90% . In addition, this statistic is overwhelming that over 28% of all abortions occur in the black community.
WHAT DOES AMERICA STAND FOR?
Let’s put aside the matter of whether it is a woman’s right, just for a moment. I have thoughts about that later. But let’s talk about what we stand for as a nation. As a group of people, Americans are for the most part, good-natured. We reach out and help people. I get posts and emails daily about what they do to dogs and cats, how they experiment on them.
When there is calamity anywhere in the world, we send troops; we send aid, and even tend to the sick and needy. The American people rally behind setting things right. When a volcano erupts, or an earthquake hits and causes havoc, or a hurricane or any other event, America puts it together and attempts to do the right thing. We send aid and help; even if the country is our enemy, we reach out our hands to help. It is who we are as a people.
But what do we as a country stand for? Is it right that we stand for those who do not have a voice? It becomes inconsistent to allow the murders of innocent lives for the sake of expediency; It just does not seem right.
However, where is the major outrage when we hear debates about partial-birth abortions or harvesting a baby in the womb for body parts? Nobody is concerned about the morality. People talk about it as they talk about their breakfast cereal. No one cares. Why? Because it is a child in the womb, and we can’t see it? But we can hear its heartbeat.
Let’s be real. The child in the womb is real. My granddaughter is real. Is it just fine to murder because you can’t see a child in the womb because it is hidden from sight? Honestly, if the woman is so callous as to murder a child inside of her body for selfish reasons, then maybe the child is better off.
Look at the life of Sylvester Stallone and his contributions to our culture. He is alive, and we know about him only because, as he recently revealed, his mother told him her attempt to abort him failed.
The Debate: To Live or Death
Yet, why we as citizens are debating the right to murder because of convenience makes absolutely no sense to me. Be aware that Congress has been debating a ban on abortions after 20 weeks for more than five years. But Democrats in Congress have refused to agree to this legislation. Democrats believe that women should have the right to choose and have a say up to birth. Then there is always the discussion that, as a man, I should have no say in the matter of a woman’s body.
Partial birth abortions are inhumane; in the process, babies are delivered, and their skulls are crushed. There are documented interviews and discussions over the value of the body parts of these aborted babies. Using the body parts of aborted babies is incomprehensible. Honestly, if we were discussing this happening with dogs or cats, there would be a moral outrage! Let’s tell people what really happens.
We value the treatment of pets and animals as more sacred than the life of children inside a woman’s body. I find that disgusting, we should recognize that life is sacred, and the fact that our society is even debating this seems seedy and incredibly small. We should be celebrating life as Aiden and the life of my granddaughter Daisy has taught me. People will fight for the life of an animal but show inconsistent care for human life.
A Celebration of Life
A day apart, we recently celebrated all three babies coming home. Two boys and a girl. My daughter-in-law celebrated last week the first week of her best friend’s birth. These lives are to be celebrated, and we wish them well. Their celebrations should not be muted for our loss. But the one precious soul that is mourned by members of our family Is incomprehensible.
I am close to all of them and will hear about their birthdays and, ultimately, their achievements. My wish is they go on to accomplish great things in honor of Daisy. It will be a bittersweet remembrance.
The Tale of Two Babies
But the rest of this story is about two children with two different outcomes, Daisy and Aiden. I would like end by focusing on these two.
Both did not make it all the way through their journey to enter this world. One was born prematurely and lived. The other one perished the day before her birth. Her heart just stopped beating. Both precious souls have a meaning for all of us. I cannot stop grieving for one, and I am overjoyed for the other.
Aiden lived and was brought home. He is my future daughter-in-law’s nephew. My granddaughter, Daisy Adelaide, was not able to live her life.
Aiden was born at 23 weeks gestation, and he weighed a mere 59 oz. He fought in the NIC unit for five months. Going home the same day as Daisy was planning to enter the world was God’s way of reminding our family and me about the sanctity of life.
Those are the blessings this world bestowed upon us. I wish everyone who raises a child the blessings we missed for Daisy.