December 28, 2009 3:03 PM
"Should I abort my Down syndrome baby?"
Mike Adams sent me something today written by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman - a new name to me. Rabbi Freeman's writing was so compelling, I began browsing and am postponing Mike's forward because I really want you all to read this:
Abort Down Syndrome Baby?By Tzvi Freeman
Question:
I just found out my unborn baby will have Down syndrome. We already have our hands full our other kids. What will happen to the baby's soul if we abort it? Are we wrong for not wanting a child who is not perfect?
Response:
You ask whether it's wrong to want only a perfect child. As much as I love them all, I can't say that any child of mine is perfect. We have been blessed, thank G‑d, with many children, and each comes packaged with his or her challenges. I call them challenges because they have very much challenged the patience, endurance and wisdom of both my wife and I. And as is always the case with challenges, we have gained and grown from all of them.
We believe that G‑d never sends us a challenge we cannot take on, that all these challenges are meant only to take us higher and further than we could achieve without them, and that with each challenge He provides the strength we need to overcome it. You are being presented with a particularly special challenge--which means that the two of you must have special abilities that others do not.
You ask about the soul of this child. Before this child was conceived, her soul stood in the lofty place of souls above, higher than the angels, basking in serene, spiritual ecstasy beyond any pleasure we could imagine in this material world. Why did she choose to leave that paradise to descend to a physical body in a world full of pain and confusion? What could she accomplish here?
Since this will be the soul of a child who will need special care and who will know the world differently than others, she has a special mission. She is chosen to ignite the kindness that lies dormant in people's souls and plant the seeds of empathy in their hearts; to teach caring, patience and tolerance in a way no other teacher could. She will enter the world armed with lessons and tests for all who will come to know her--and she will leave it a much kinder world, a world blossoming with compassion, a world where people can feel for one another and put aside their own concerns and comfort to run to help. She will leave behind a touch of the heaven from whence she came.
Read more at Chabad.org
Many people do not realize that evangelicals and Catholics have much in common with Jewish people as we share the same Scriptures: the Torah is our Old Testament and many of us study it assiduously - which means I appreciate the wisdom of faithful Rabbis.
On behalf of all families with children with Down syndrome, I'd like to say Thank You, Rabbi Freeman?
Picture of Patricia and Marissa from my photo album Our Little Extras: A Mother's Day Down Syndrome Celebration.
Posted in Down syndrome, Inspiration, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink
Comments
This was truly beautiful - thank you for sharing it!
Posted by: Elle | December 28, 2009 5:28 PM
You should know that Rabbi Friedman's attitude is not exceptional for the orthodox Jewish world. Strictly Orthodox Jews (like me) do not believe in abortion except in cases where it presents a clear danger to the mother's life.
This is why when I was in nursing school my best friends where Catholic. We shared more common values (pro-life/pro-morality) than I did with the non-religious students.
I once told a doctor who asked why I didn't abort Ricki "I don't believe in killing people who are not perfect....."
And my daughter said something similar a few weeks ago... http://beneaththewings.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-of-my-proudest-moments.html
Posted by: Rickismom | December 29, 2009 1:19 AM
This was a very beautiful, touching and timely piece to dwell on at this time. I linked to this on my post about the feast of the Holy Innocents.
Thank you again Barbara.
Posted by: Clare | December 29, 2009 6:16 PM
