Fear and Zika
The Zika virus, which has now reached our sweet T and T has sparked a myriad of emotions. While we can understand the fear of the unknown of mothers who are in a situation in which they are pregnant and have contacted the Zika virus, as a nation we must not allow panic and fear to cloud our perceptions. Statistics have shown that in Columbia 3,177 pregnant women have been diagnosed with probable Zika, but only 330 have been confirmed with lab testing. And in no case had microcephaly been observed in the unborn child. As such the ‘potential solution’ of abortion needs to be viewed in its entirety before even considering beginning any sort of conversation to change our existing Abortion laws
The thinking behind these advocates of Abortion have led to a re-defining or a reconstituting of the human person according to mere human projects, placing value of a life on what one can do, rather than who one is. In doing so we strip the person of individuality and dignity and we lose the respect and honour due to them on account of the height of their goodness and the acknowledgement that the human person is a being of incomparable worth, the bearer of rights that must be recognized by others and protected by society.
Similar circumstances like Downs Syndrome and other physical abnormalities that can be seen from ultrasounds are not grounds for abortion, so why should this particular disease be any different? We have seen from research that there is an entire range of severity of microcephaly, and even someone who is a University graduate has the disease; every life deserves a chance to live. If we start judging whether a life should be allowed or not based on abilities, exactly where and when do we draw the line.
Many families who have differently abled children may find life to be challenging at times, especially when finance, services and home support are not available, but are blessed to have these children, as the family environment created is one of mutual support and compassion. Whereas there are many families with typically developing children who struggle with many different problems, hence this is not a determining factor of happiness or stress in life.
As a nation our primary focus at this point should be to provide the support necessary for mothers who may be in this tragic circumstance of being pregnant and contacting the Zika virus. They need to have access to adequate health care, they need counselling and a listening and sympathetic ear to reassure them with success stories of other mothers who were in similar circumstances. What we should not be doing is increasing the fear factor, and buying in to the false solution that Abortion advocates that are putting forward. Abortion compounds the Zika tragedy, and does nothing to solve it. The drama of the woman who, pressured by fear, lack of information and support, decides to have an abortion, kills one life and diminishes another (CV Columbia).
Tonia Gooding for
Catholic Voices T and T
