November 17, 2024
In the discussion surrounding abortion the subject most often raised is a woman’s right to freedom with her own body. There are many appropriate responses to that objection including and maybe especially the fact that freedom with the body is what created the situation in the first place. Once in a while a situation comes along that teaches so powerfully that no arguments are needed. One such situation is that of Elizabeth Joice.
Elizabeth desperately wanted children and so she was ecstatic when she learned she was pregnant, bad news quickly followed. Elizabeth was promptly told by doctors that she would have to make a decision. The cancer that she’d been treated for years earlier had returned. She would have to abort the baby so she could receive lifesaving cancer treatment or forgo the treatment to carry the baby. For Elizabeth that was no choice at all she knew that she would carry the baby. Elizabeth carried her baby until six week prior to her due date when a mass in her lung necessitated delivering the baby by C-section. When Elizabeth woke after surgery she was desperate to know how the baby was doing.
When full body scans were done it was revealed that Elizabeth’s abdomen was full of cancer and despite treatment she passed away March 9th in hospital with her husband Max by her side. She was only able to spend one night at home with her new baby. A documentarian visiting on her one day at home records Elizabeth holding her baby and filled with joy and pride. She said “This is so worth it I would do it all again to have this child”.
What a perfect example of love. Elizabeth demonstrated what it means to love someone to death.
What an honour God has bestowed upon mankind that we can bring new life into the world. What a joy to see the hope and anticipation that a baby brings.
As we contemplate this story let’s remember that someone else has laid down their life for us and that we have been reborn because of that sacrifice. May God bless Elizabeth’s baby and her whole family. May God bless us, as we remember that value of sacrifice and the power of love.
~ Kevin Cleary