As I examine the abortion issue, I find one recurring theme among pro-choice advocates and that is, “what if the child were born with certain ailments and diseases that would impair the quality of life?”
Now consider today’s technologies where parents can decide whether to abort a child that may not be viable for a normal and healthy life. This brings to mind a child I knew very well many years ago. The child was born with spinal problems, asthma, a learning disability and was highly anemic. He also had a stuttering handicap that was so bad other children would make fun of him. In today’s culture of death, would it not be considered humane to abort such a child rather than make this child suffer and have no prospect of a future and alleviate his parents’ financial burdens?
That child was me. Today I’m 64 years old and run a shipping department in a plumbing supply house at Northeast Plumbing in Mineola for going on 34 years. I served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. I am also a past Grand Knight for St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus in Douglaston and I am also a lector at St. Anastasia’s parish, which is some task for someone who had a severe stutter for many years.
Life was no picnic and has been a struggle. But in my travels I hope I have affected some lives in a positive way.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village, N.Y.
