Being Visionary << Short Story >> "Choose Life" by Sophie (age 13)

“This court is now in session!”  Shouted Judge Murphy as he hammered the table.  “Mr. Smith, the defendant.  Mr. Jones, the prosecutor.  Mr. Jones, it is time for your summery of the problem at stake.”

     “Yes, your honor.”  Said Mr. Jones.  He was a sturdy young fellow, always dressed in his suit and bowtie.  His deep blue eyes were told to be melancholy and gentle.  “It is my understanding that abortion is legal in this country for two reasons.  For the equality of genders, and for the freedom for women to decide for themselves.  We believe that the child should be considered as well as the woman in these situations.  We are here to reveal some startling facts regarding abortion, and hopefully change some views on this matter.  Jurors, we would like to assure you that we have done intense study on this subject.”  Mr. Jones, turning to the judge continued, “Your honor, we present our first witness.”

Mr. Jones called up a young girl, appearing around the age of twenty years old.  She was very pretty, with chestnut hair and eyes green like the forest.

     “I would like to present Ms. Amanda Carter.”

Ms. Carter then rose and sat at the desk.  The bailiff approached her and asked her to raise her right hand.

     “Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth so help you God?”

     “I cannot swear, but I will promise and give you my word.  It's not much different, you know.”

The bailiff looked at the judge questionably, waiting for his instruction.

     “Is this because of religious purposes?”

     “Yes, your honor.”

     “So noted.  You may proceed.”

     “Thank you, your honor.” 

Mr. Jones approached Ms. Carter in full focus.

     “Ms. Carter, is it true that three years ago you were blessed with your first child?”

     “Yes.  And what a delight he is!”  She smiled.

     “Is it also true that during the beginning of the pregnancy you considered aborting the child?”

     “Yes.  Sadly, that is true.”  She was no longer smiling, showing a face of guilt.

     “What changed your mind?”
     “Well, ever since I was thirteen years of age I have been a believer in Yeshua, most commonly known as Jesus.  I believed in staying pure in heart and body, but one evening my life turned upside down.”  Ms. Carter continued in a shaky tone.  “At the young age of 17 years old I was forcefully taken advantage of.  A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant.”  She paused, and sighed deeply.  “I knew it was wrong to abort the child, but I couldn't imagine ever taking care of a baby by myself.  Especially not a child that was conceived the way it was.  Even though I was struggling in many forms during this time, I decided to look in the bible for some answers.”  She gently placed a bible onto the desk in front of her.  “Psalm 139:13-16 says this:  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  Ms. Carter slowly closed her bible, and closed her eyes momentarily, holding back her tears.  “Right there I knew, that if my baby's days were written in a book, before even one came to be, then he was supposed to live, whether brought forth through force or not.”

Mr. Jones nodded. 

     “Nothing further Ms. Carter.”

He then strode back to his seat, rather moved himself by her testimony, no matter how many times he had heard it before.

Then Mr. Smith walked up.  He was also young and sturdy, but unlike Mr. Jones, he always seemed stiff and uncomfortable.  His eyes were deep brown and he wore very thick, round glasses.  His hair was a dirty blonde which complimented his numerous freckles, and he was always well groomed. 

           With an angry and disturbed look on his face, he approached the witness carrying a large print Bible with him.

     “Ms. Carter,” he started quickly, “have you ever read the verses found in Exodus 21:22-25?”

     “Well sir, I don’t know if I have.”

     “Then allow me to read them to you.”  He opened up his bible, took out a bookmark, and began to read.  “‘And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surly be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide.  But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty of life for life, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.’” Turning towards the Jury, he began to explain his point.  “Let’s look at the beginning of the verse: ‘And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surly be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him.’  Is it not obvious that even the bible finds little value in an unborn fetus.  You see, the punishment is for the injury  of the ‘living’ being.”

     “This is outrageous!”

     “Silence, Mr. Jones!”

Mr. Jones hesitantly sat down, praying that God would give him the right words to say when it came to be his turn.  He spoke quietly, near a whisper.  “Yes, your honor.”

     Mr. Smith seemed rather pleased with himself as he continued his speech.  “Ms. Carter, do you think that it would be easier today and more freeing if you did not have your child with you?”

     “Absolutely not!”  Ms. Carter seemed disgusted, struggling to regain her composure.

     “Ms. Carter, what if you were financially and physically incapable of taking care of the child when you became pregnant.  What if your circumstances were dangerous concerning your environment? What would you have done then?”

     “I would've put him up for adoption.”

     “What if you couldn't find a family?”

     “There are hundreds and thousands of families searching.  What you’re suggesting is absolutely impossible.”

     “Yes, but Ms. Carter, wouldn't it have been much easier if you had a spouse with you to take care of your firstborn child?”

     “That would be the ideal situation.”

     “That is not an answer.”

     “Well, yes it would be easier, but that doesn't mean--”

     “No further questions, your honor.”  Mr. Smith walked away with a smirk of a smile on his face, proud for making the absurd explanation that he had made.

Mr. Jones stood up and approached the Jurors.  “Jurors, if you looked up the word 'fine,' it would describe it to you as this: ‘a sum of money imposed as a penalty for an offense or dereliction.’” Mr. Jones took a deep breath and continued boldly, “If the man was given penalty for his crime of causing the woman to have a miscarriage, it obviously means that the child did matter!”  He paused.  “And to challenge Mr. Smith’s second argument, I will say this:  Who would deny that if you had a million dollars in your bank account, life for anyone would be easier?  Yet, for so many, this is an unrealistic convenience.  But thankfully, our financial class does not define our character or skill.  There are millions of single mothers and fathers out there.  And as Ms. Carter put it, not all of us are granted with the ‘ideal situation.’”  Silence then engulfed the room, the only sound being Mr. Jones’ footsteps as he walked back to his seat. 

     “Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, do you have any further questions for this witness?”

     “No, your honor.”  Stated Mr. Jones as he sat down.

     “None further.”  Said Mr. Smith through clenched teeth.

Ms. Carter then left the stand.

     “Mr. Smith, you may present your witness.”

     “Thank you, your honor.”

Mr. Smith then summoned a man wearing a white lab coat, appearing to be a Doctor, or a Scientist.  Once again, the baliff approached the witness, and recited the words:  “Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

     “Yes, I do.”

     “You may be seated.”

Mr. Smith approached the witness.  “Dr. Brown, correct?”

     “Yes.”

     “I have a few questions for you, and if you don't mind, I would like you to answer yes, or no.”

     “That's fine.”

     “Good.  Is a fetus referred to as a parasite?”

     “Yes.”

     “Do you agree with this term?”

     “Yes.”

     “Why?”

     “Because when a fetus is inside a woman's womb, it's taking nutrients from her body and returning nothing whatsoever.”

     “No further questions your honor.”

As Mr. Smith sat down, Mr. Jones smiled big, and God revealed to him exactly what he was going to say.

     “If you don't mind, Dr. Brown, I would like to use the same method as Mr. Smith and request that you answer yes, or no to my questions.”

     “That’s only fair.”

     “Thank you.  Dr. Brown, is it not true that a parasite must be a living creature in order to take nutrients from the woman?”

     “Yes, this is true.”

     “So you are killing a living creature that is soon to be a human.  That would mean you used to be a parasite, yes?”

     “Well...”

     “Yes or no, sir.”

     “Yes.  It would”    

“Dr. Brown, were you aware that if the woman is injured during her pregnancy, that the fetus can send stem cells through the placenta, and help heal the woman?”

     “Yes, I was.”

     “Does a parasite do that?”

     “No.” 

     “Didn't you just say that the fetus returns, quote on quote, 'nothing whatsoever?'”

     “I was referring to nutrients.”

     “Ah, I see.”  Mr. Jones nodded his head.

     “No further questions, your honor.”

Mr. Smith walked forward again hoping to make his point clear.

     “Dr. Brown, is it true that a virus is made up of cells?”

     “Yes.”

     “So, disposing of a mass of cells that is 4 days old is no different than curing a virus, right?”

     “Yes.”  Dr. Brown seemed rather satisfied.

     “No further questions.”

Mr. Jones was taken back by his suggestion.  “God, speak through me.”  He whispered as he approached Dr. Brown.

     “A virus is a mass of genetic information, yes?”

     “Yes.”

     “So, it's not necessarily a full cell, right?”

Dr. Brown bit his lip angrily. “No.”

     “But, there's more.  Aren't all viruses coated with protein?”

     “Yes.”

     “Is a fetus coated with protein?”

     “No.”  Dr. Brown was getting angry. 

     “And, does a virus develop a heart, brain, and spinal cord, by the fifth week of conception, let alone be conceived rather than spread?”

     “No.”  He spoke coldly, wanting to lash out at Mr. Jones.

     “No further questions, your honor.”

It took Judge Murphy a few moments to comprehend what he was saying, and then replied slowly.  “Do you have any more witnesses?”

     “No, your honor.”

     “Well then we will let the jurors decide on the matter.”

Dear reader, the facts have been presented to you.  As we’ve seen, Science shows the difference between a mass of tissue and human life in the mother’s womb, and  Biblically, God tells us that He knew us, even before our conception, and He has already written our story.  I have presented to you these things, and now the choice is yours.  You are the juror.  What is your verdict?