{"id":99120,"date":"2016-08-15T19:11:20","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T23:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=99120"},"modified":"2016-08-15T18:41:41","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T22:41:41","slug":"children-dont-choose-to-be-vulnerable-but-we-can-choose-to-protect-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/children-dont-choose-to-be-vulnerable-but-we-can-choose-to-protect-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Children don’t choose to be vulnerable, but we can choose to protect them"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

A Zika virus outbreak has hit Florida. Spread by mosquitoes, it\u2019s been linked to microcephaly, a condition affecting head size and brain development in preborn children. While some see it as justifying abortion, Florida mom Haneefa De Clercq couldn\u2019t be more opposed. She had this to say<\/a> about her two microcephalic children:<\/p>\n

\n

That what I want those mothers to know, that it\u2019s not the end of the world because you have these kids,\u201d she said through tears. \u201cThey will teach them so much. They\u2019ll teach them how to love, they will teach them patience. Everything is in God\u2019s time, and if we have the patience to go through that, the rewards are so much greater, and my kids are the greatest gift. They\u2019re the greatest gift God has ever given me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

De Clercq isn\u2019t the only one who feels that way. Recently, I spoke to a friend who\u2019s a home care nurse for children with special needs. They often have conditions aren\u2019t that detectable until later in a pregnancy, and my friend observed how a lot of abortion advocates won\u2019t deny the humanity of kids like hers. Instead, they\u2019ll act as if some people just aren\u2019t worth having around.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how she responded:<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ve had the privilege<\/i> of working with children who are chronically disabled, medically fragile…and precious. Their disabilities can stem from Leigh\u2019s syndrome<\/a>, Wolf Hirschhorn<\/a>, VACTERL<\/a>, or severe physical injuries. None of those things can detract from a child\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

\"Ruby

Ruby Danielle–May 8, 2008 – February 19, 2015<\/p><\/div>\n

I wandered into this specialty, quite by accident. And truth be told, I noticed some of the same things abortion advocates point to. I can\u2019t deny that these these children require expensive care. Yes, their lives are often short, and no, most of them will never have careers. In the eyes of some, they offer nothing to society. But that wasn\u2019t what I found.<\/p>\n

Although many will never speak a word, they can still teach us. They teach us what it means to be humane and selfless, to put the needs of someone else above our own. Those are things their parents can show us as well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She went on to describe what she\u2019s seen in families she visits:<\/p>\n

\n

There\u2019s heartbreak, but also joy and love. They make sacrifices and bear burdens so their children may live; they put dedication and love, loyalty and duty into every action. Their strength and perseverance is a gift to the world, and they embody the values that every person ought to live out.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As my friend stressed again and again, these children have a lot to offer society, but that\u2019s not the reason society should protect them; their humanity is. At the end of the day, being vulnerable wasn\u2019t something they chose, but defending them is something we should.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Zika virus outbreak has hit Florida. Spread by mosquitoes, it\u2019s been linked to microcephaly, a condition affecting head size and brain development in preborn children. While some see it as justifying abortion, Florida mom Haneefa De Clercq couldn\u2019t be more opposed. She had this to say about her two microcephalic children: That what I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":97038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nChildren don't choose to be vulnerable, but we can choose to protect them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Children with disabilities have a lot to offer society, but that\u2019s not the reason society should protect them; their humanity is.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/children-dont-choose-to-be-vulnerable-but-we-can-choose-to-protect-them\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Children don't choose to be vulnerable, but we can choose to protect them\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Children with disabilities have a lot to offer society, but that\u2019s not the reason society should protect them; 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