The New Scar on My Soul

The wife should have had to watch ..

The pain of losing a child is horrific .. I cannot imagine CHOOSING to do so..

is this guy just a total moron or did he just not realize that ivf involves selection at the embryonic and fetal developmental stages? and why didn’t he and his wife settle what they wanted to do before they started?

also, the best scientific evidence shows that the unborn do not experience pain in the same way as infants. some of the basic nervous system is in place at 7 weeks, but it’s not all connected to the right part of the brain until 24 weeks. even then, there is good evidence that the chemistry in the womb is sedative.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1440624/
http://www.rcog.org.uk/news/rcog-release-rcog-updates-its-guidance

Let me see…we don’ t abort life embyros because they are fully human and we should feel bad when we kill the embryos but if we wish to “freeze” such person’s against their wills or at least in presuming to speak for them that these embryos don’ t mind being frozen, that’s not something about which we should feel guilty?

That elephant aside I feel bad for this couple but agree their perspective and any accompanied guilt should be more informed.

I’m still trying to figure out why this guy wrote in the first place. How very post modern of him. I know it was murder, but I consented anyway. I know they felt pain, but I consented anyway. I know it was wrong, but I consented anyway. And I have a whole litany of reasons to justify my decision. Give me a break. There isn’t a shred of repentance anywhere in the piece. There is only guilt and self-justification. I was disgusted by this public announcement. How sad that two precious lives were thrown away so selfishly - I know I shouldn’t but I needed to because….

[Chip Van Emmerik] I’m still trying to figure out why this guy wrote in the first place. How very post modern of him. I know it was murder, but I consented anyway. I know they felt pain, but I consented anyway. I know it was wrong, but I consented anyway. And I have a whole litany of reasons to justify my decision. Give me a break. There isn’t a shred of repentance anywhere in the piece. There is only guilt and self-justification. I was disgusted by this public announcement. How sad that two precious lives were thrown away so selfishly - I know I shouldn’t but I needed to because….

Overall you’re right, Chip; nevertheless, he wrote, and I’m glad he did. I’m not so sure he presented a “litany of reasons to justify” his decision, though. This reads more like one long lament coming from an emasculated husband — by that I mean a man who surrendered his manhood to the mantra that “a woman’s body is her own—she alone has the right to choose whether or not to end a pregnancy.” This piece reveals the painful helplessness of a modern husband whose wife’s adamant choice trumps his own; he must ultimately yield and try his best to cope with what he knows is ultimately wrong.

Though he/they may very well be “post-modern,” it’s good to be reminded of the pain of sin and of the “side effects” of some of our “wonderful” technologies. It’s also good that the unconverted be confronted with the painful ramifications of their selfishness. One of the sad realities of this piece is the state of the marriage. The husband isn’t a leader; the wife has final say because, after all, “it’s her body.” Her decision—and his inability or failure to be the God-intended leader in the home—will be a source of pain in their marriage for however long it lasts. I get the sense it won’t be until the death of one of the spouses separates them—seems clear that the deaths, the murders, of their children has already parted them.