{"id":233075,"date":"2020-10-19T07:25:56","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T12:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=233075"},"modified":"2020-10-18T21:12:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T02:12:53","slug":"baby-louisiana-governor-chose-life-spina-bifida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/baby-louisiana-governor-chose-life-spina-bifida\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We’re going to love this baby’: Louisiana governor and wife chose life for daughter with spina bifida"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has been vocal about his pro-life convictions and has signed pro-life legislation into law, including a ban on abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Edwards has also been open about the difficult time in his life that helped shape his understanding of why pro-life laws are important.<\/p>\n

He shared<\/a> that when his wife Donna was 20 weeks pregnant with their daughter Samantha, they learned that their preborn baby girl had spina bifida. Doctors strongly advised abortion, and when the couple refused, the doctor actually took Donna to a clinic that treated children with spina bifida as if to show her that children with spina bifida were not worthy of life.<\/p>\n

Still, the couple remained firm. Their daughter was not disposable.<\/p>\n

“It was our belief that God has a purpose in everything and we would have this child,” said Edwards in a 2016 interview with CatholicPhilly.com<\/a>. “I credit Donna; she is a very courageous person. Our daughter is now 24 years old… I cannot imagine what our life would be without her, and I tell this story with her permission.”<\/p>\n