Babies remind women not to be selfish

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Taber Times

This letter is in response to the article “Why We Absolutely Do Not ‘Need a Law” by J.W. Schnarr.

A baby is not the mother’s body. As humans, we are all connected to one another in different ways and capacities; some are emotionally connected, others are politically connected, some distantly connected and others physically.

One of the strongest connections in existence is that of a mother with her child, especially in the womb.

Just because the child is connected to the mother by an umbilical cord does not make the child his/her mother’s body.

Yes, we have the ability to choose what we do to and with our bodies, but every choice we make has a consequence affecting another human being for good or ill.

In the case of a pregnant woman, whatever she does to her body will have the strongest effect on her child.

This still does not make the baby’s body his/her mother’s body. They are two distinct persons with separate thoughts, movements, and heart beats.

So yes I do have the choice to do what I want with my body, but when I have the responsibility of caring for someone else so intimately, it is not just about me and my body anymore.

It becomes all about the other person to ensure they are taken care of in the best way I am capable of.

That is the beauty of children no matter how big or small, what they look like or how they act, they remind us to stop focusing on ourselves, and look outward.

They give us the opportunity to care for someone outside of ourselves.

They remind us that the world never has and never will revolve around “me” and “my needs” and “my” own selfishness.

The gift of a child truly does not depend on what they look like, or how much time or how little time we have with them, or where they live.

A child is a gift simply because he/she has been given.

Every life is so precious and it is often through the lives that are deemed the most insignificant by the world the greatest inspiration comes and the greatest lessons are taught.

It is often the weak who lead the strong.

Who are we to decide which life is more valuable than another?

Just because I am not on the cover of a magazine, I do not own a mansion or a fancy car does not make my life any more or less significant than anyone else.

I am not the smartest, the prettiest or the most perfect, but no one on this earth is.

Every life is a gift. Every person has an inherent dignity that no one in this world can choose to give or take away.

Whether a person chooses to live like they have dignity or not, even if a person’s situation makes it less apparent, every life has value, even if the rest of the world says otherwise.  

Dynae Stamp