"Instead of stinging nettle, myrtle will rise" (Isaiah 55:13)
 "Instead of evil, good will rise." (The Malbim's Interpretation)
Myrtle Rising
  • Blog
  • Comments Disabled
    • Privacy Policy
  • Aliyah
    • Mini-Intro
    • General Cultural Insights
    • School Tips
  • Kli Yakar Index
  • Most Popular
  • Contact

The Abortion Stories You Never Hear

24/12/2018

4 Comments

 
​One of the big propaganda pieces with which I grew up is that abortion is a right and that abortion needs to be safe (for the mother at least; it’s never safe for the baby) and legal.

Horror stories of illegal abortions and extremely fertile impoverished mothers abounded.
 
Yet who hears the stories of young women who died during legal abortions in certified clinics nowadays?
 
And what about the botched legal abortions which left the baby alive and deformed for life?
 
(Fortunately, some of these babies grew up to be very powerful pro-life speakers, baruch Hashem.)

​But unless you actively seek out pro-life articles & books, you never hear the above stories.
 
Another group you rarely hear about are the missed abortions.
 
The truth is that previously, abortion’s legal restrictions and lack of safety are exactly what saved the lives of many babies and their mothers—a fact I only discovered over the years from listening to a variety of true stories.

In other words, many lives were not only saved but enriched only because abortion was neither safe nor legal.

Blind to the Truth

​One woman I knew described how her mother’s doctor told her that she must abort the baby (my friend) or else she (my friend's mother) would go blind. Yet by the time the doctor made this proclamation and by the time her mother managed to get an appoint for a legal abortion, too much time had gone by and she could no longer get an abortion.

​She ended up giving birth to a baby girl who became exactly the friend I needed during a difficult time in my life -- so I'm very grateful for her existence. This friend also became sincerely frum, married a wonderful guy, and had a beautiful large family. She and her husband also do a lot for the community. And although my friend denies it, it looks to me like she gives her parents more Yiddishe nachas than her siblings combined.

​P.S. Her mother's eyesight ended up being just fine.

A Blessedly Dishonest Abortionist

A high school classmate once told me how his mother went to abort him when she found herself with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy at age 19.

Fortunately, the abortionist was also an extortionist.

He took her money, gave her a couple of pills (which she later assumed were aspirin), and told her to go home and lift the furniture a lot. Despite all the exertion, she carried to term (I guess she didn't have enough money left to try for another abortion) and produced my classmate, who ended up being a Godsend.

​From a young age, he protected his mother, helped his mother with the housework and the younger siblings who followed, was always very nice, and did well in school, and ended up going to college on a military scholarship, thereby ending his family's cycle of poverty.

The "Impossible" Child

A somewhat assimilated Eastern European Jewish woman told me how she found herself pregnant with her third child not long after she and her husband and children arrived in America. She explained that they were still getting settled and still so poor, they could not see a way to manage with another child at that time.

​It simply seemed impossible.

But due to the restrictive laws of that time, by the time she realized she was pregnant and tracked down an abortionist, it was too late to perform a safe (for the mother at least) abortion.

She brought that child into the world and she remarked on how she always had a lot of nachas from him. “He’s the biggest, handsomest, and best-behaved of my children,” she said. “He was always very good to me. Even now that he’s dorming away at university, he still calls me regularly to chat. His brothers never did that. He’s the most attached to me and such a good boy.”

Then she looked at me with wide eyes as she took another drag on her cigarette and said, “And to think—I wanted to kill him!”

Who Benefits When Abortion is Neither Legal nor Safe...

My great-grandparents immigrated to America from Germany at the turn of the 20th Century.

They ended up with 8 kids, but I was told that my great-grandmother had her children between abortions. Apparently, she found my great-grandfather difficult to deal with and having one child after another added more stress than she felt she could handle -- although clearly, she was wrong. (From the little I know, my great-grandfather seemed like a nominally frum am ha’aretz with a strong control streak).

Being that birth control back then demanded the cooperation of the husband, my great-grandmother resorted to abortion under the false impression that Judaism didn’t consider it so bad. (This is part of the problem with Jews who practice Orthodox Judaism by rote, but aren’t actually knowledgeable and why Chazal traditionally looked down on people who were frum amei aretz. Due to ignorance, such people can't actually keep the Torah properly and end up transgressing.)

My grandfather and his younger brother were the only ones born in America. When she found out she was pregnant with my grandfather, she wanted to abort him. But the abortionist was out of town and by the time he came back, it was too late.

​Interestingly, from the time he was little, my great-grandmother felt a warm connection with him and enjoyed an especially close relationship with him throughout her life.

More than 1 Life Saved by Abortion Restrictions

Although we, as parents, should not favor one child over the other nor should we judge a child’s worth by what the child gives us, I still find it interesting that in all the above stories, the child who was supposed to be aborted was the child who ended up giving the mother the most.

Sure, I suppose it's not always true that the child intended for abortion ends up giving the mother the most. But I definitely saw this pattern in the incidents I discovered.
 
And finally, while I’m grateful to Hashem for intervening with my great-grandmother so that my children & I could descended from the child she originally intended to abort, there’s another life saved by that missed abortion.
 
During America's 1940s, a black man was accused of a murder he did not commit. But the white cops were fine with letting the black man take the rap for it. Fortunately, my grandfather had the proof that the black man did not kill anybody and Grandpa intervened with the authorities to set him free.

​Without my grandfather, that man would be dead.

​(You can read about it in Values: When People Want to BE Good & Not Just “Feel” Good.)
 
So these are the stories you won’t hear because they don’t fit the mainstream agenda. Because abortion was mostly illegal and unsafe, many lives were saved and many mothers experienced lifelong nachas they would never otherwise enjoy.

May Hashem make us a Nation of true talmidei chachamim & may we all do true teshuvah from love.
Picture
4 Comments
angela
25/12/2018 03:39:29

I actually read the papers from 1952 where my mother was told to end her pregnancy of 4 months because she was determined to be a carrier of a terminal disease that could be passed on to her children.

Thank HaShem forever that she did not listen to him, because it was me inside of her at that time. Thank God forever and ever for Life.

Reply
Myrtle Rising
25/12/2018 09:58:35

Baruch Hashem, Angela!!! I'm also glad your mother didn't listen to the doctor.

Thanks so much for sharing this important story.

Reply
angela
25/12/2018 19:02:37

Baruch HaShem forever!

Reply
Myrtle Rising
25/12/2018 19:19:25

Amen!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Privacy Policy

    Picture
    Please note this is an affiliate link. Meaning, I get a small cut but at NO extra cost to you. If you use it, I'm grateful. If not, you still get a giant mitzvah connected to Eretz Yisrael.


    Feedburner subscription no longer in operation. Sorry!

    Myrtle Rising

    I'm a middle-aged housewife and mother in Eretz Yisrael who likes to read and write a lot.


    Picture
    Sample Chapters

    Categories

    All
    Aliyah
    Anti Jewish Bigotry
    Anti-jewish-bigotry
    Astronomy
    Book Review
    Books
    Chagim/Holidays
    Chinuch
    Coronavirus
    Dictionaries
    Emuna
    Eretz Yisrael
    Erev Rav
    Gender
    Hitbodedut
    "If The Torah..."
    Jewish Astrology
    Kav Hayashar
    Kli Yakar
    Lashon Hara
    Love
    Me'am Loez
    Minchat Yehudah
    Mishlei/Proverbs
    Netivot Shalom
    Parenting
    Parsha
    Pele Yoetz
    Perek Shira
    Pesach
    Politics
    Prayer
    Purim
    Rav Avigdor Miller
    Rav Itamar Schwartz
    Rav L.Y. Bender
    Recipes
    "Regular" Jews
    Rosh Hashanah
    Society
    Sukkot
    Tammuz
    Technology
    Tehillim/Psalms
    Teshuvah
    The Lost Princess
    Tisha B'Av
    USA Scary Direction
    Women
    Yom Kippur

    Jewish Blogs

    Daf Yomi Review
    Derech Emet
    Going...Habayitah
    Halacha Q&A
    Hava haAharona
    Miriam Adahan
    My Perspective

    Shirat Devorah
    Tomer Devorah
    Toras Avigdor
    True Tzaddikim
    Tznius Blog

    Yeranen Yaakov
    Rabbi Ofer Erez (Hebrew lectures)

    Jewish Current Events

    Hamodia
    Sultan Knish
    Tomer Devorah
    Yeranen Yaakov

    Jewish Health

    People Smarts

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    RSS Feed

    Copyright Notice

    ©2015-2022 Myrtle Rising
    Excerpts and links may be used without express permission as long as a link is provided back to the appropriate Myrtle Rising page.

Home/Blog

Most Popular

Kli Yakar in English

Aliyah

Contact

Copyright © 2023
Photos used under Creative Commons from Brett Jordan, BAMCorp, Terrazzo, Abode of Chaos, Michele Dorsey Walfred, marklordphotography, M.Burak Erbaş, torbakhopper, jhritz, Rina Pitucci (Tilling 67), Svadilfari, kum111, Tim simpson1, FindYourSearch, Giorgio Galeotti, ChrisYunker, Jaykhuang, YourCastlesDecor, bluebirdsandteapots, Natalia Medd, Stefans02, Israel_photo_gallery, Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, BradPerkins, zeevveez, dfarrell07, h.koppdelaney, Edgardo W. Olivera, nafrenkel88, zeevveez, mtchlra, Liz | populational, TraumaAndDissociation, thinboyfatter, garofalo.christina, skpy, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, Nerru, Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith, trendingtopics, dolbinator1000, DonkeyHotey, zeevveez, erix!, zeevveez, h.koppdelaney, MAURO CATEB, kevin dooley, keepitsurreal, annikaleigh, bjornmeansbear, publicdomainphotography, Leonard J Matthews, Exile on Ontario St, Nicholas_T, marcoverch, planman, PhilWolff, j_lai, t.kunikuni, zeevveez, Ian W Scott, Brett Jordan, RonAlmog, Bob Linsdell, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, aaron_anderer, ** RCB **, Tony Webster, mypubliclands, AntonStetner, Zachi Evenor, MrJamesBaker, sammydavisdog, Frode Ramone, Wonder woman0731, wrachele, kennethkonica, Skall_Edit, Pleuntje, Rennett Stowe, *S A N D E E P*, symphony of love, AlexanderJonesi, Arya Ziai, ePublicist, Enokson, Tony Webster, Art4TheGlryOfGod, seaternity, Andrew Tarvin, zeevveez, Israel_photo_gallery, Iqbal Osman1, Matt From London, Tribes of the World, Eric Kilby, miracle design, RonAlmog, slgckgc, Kim Scarborough, DonkeyHotey, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, h.koppdelaney, gleonhard, Pedro Travassos, nociveglia, RonAlmog, Israel_photo_gallery, Septemia, Paulann_Egelhoff, Tatiana12, MAD Hippies Life, Neta Bartal, milesgehm, shooting brooklyn, RonAlmog, smilygrl, gospelportals, leighblackall, symensphotographie, zeevveez, Kyknoord, wotashot (taking a break), Tambako the Jaguar, bitmask, Arnie Sacknooson, mattymatt, Rob Swystun, zeevveez, Dun.can, Tim Patterson, timeflicks, garlandcannon, HRYMX, fred_v, Yair Aronshtam, zeevveez, Ron Cogswell, FindYourSearch, Israel_photo_gallery, Serendipity Diamonds, zeevveez, Steve Corey, Dominic's pics, leighklotz, Stefans02, dannyman, RonAlmog, Stephen O, RonAlmog, Tips For Travellers, Futurilla, anomalous4, Bob Linsdell, AndyMcLemore, symphony of love, andydr, sara~, Gamma Man, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, robef, European Southern Observatory, Brett Jordan, Johnny Silvercloud, Israel_photo_gallery, smkybear, --Sam--, Paulann_Egelhoff, Selena Sheridan, D'oh Boy, campbelj45ca, 19melissa68, entirelysubjective, Leimenide, dheera.net, Brett Jordan, HonestReporting.com, Iqbal Osman1, One Way Stock, Jake Waage, picto:graphic, Marcelo Alves, KAZVorpal, Sparkle Motion, Brett Jordan, Ambernectar 13, Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis, Steven DuBois, Cristian V., tortuga767, Jake Cvnningham, D'oh Boy, Eric Kilby, quinn.anya, Lenny K Photography, One Way Stock, Bird Eye, ell brown, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Kevin M. Gill, lunar caustic, gerrybuckel, quinn.anya, Kaz Andrew, kodomut, kayugee, jintae kim's photography, Futurilla, terri_bateman, Patty Mooney, Amydeanne, Paulann_Egelhoff, Mulling it Over, Ungry Young Man, Ruth and Dave, yangouyang374, symphony of love, kennethkonica, young@art, Brett Jordan, slgckgc, Celestine Chua, rkimpeljr, Kristoffer Trolle, TooFarNorth, D'oh Boy, Grace to You, LittleStuff.me, Kevin M. Gill, philozopher, traveltipy.com, Alan Cleaver, crazyoctopus, d_vdm, tonynetone, penjelly, TheToch, JohnE777, hello-julie, DaveBleasdale, Michael Candelori Photography, andessurvivor, slgckgc, byzantiumbooks, sasha diamanti