"Life or Health of the Mother"

Two stories:

Shortly after I came to this church, I met a young woman. She was one of our confirmation guides. She was married and had a young child. At almost the same time that year, she discovered she was pregnant and that she had cancer. She got the best opinions from her doctors, and then made the difficult decision to delay her treatment until after her baby was born. She and her husband knew that they were taking a risk, but they decided it was worth it. She was able to begin treatment shortly afterwards, and her family is still doing well today. They are so grateful for their two healthy children.

A few years ago, I learned a story from a friend. A woman who has at least two children learns that she is pregnant, and shortly afterwards, learns that she has cancer. After discussing her options with her physician, she decides to delay her treatment until after her baby is born. She knows that there are risks, but she is adamantly pro-life. Unfortunately, in her case, her cancer advances rapidly and she dies when her baby is young, leaving her husband a widower with three small children.

Both of these women chose life. I respect their choices. They risked their lives for the sake of their babies.

But, nobody told them they had to risk their lives. They got to choose.