January 23rd is Sanctity of Life Sunday

The following article was reprinted with permission from NIFLA (National Institute of Family & Life Advocates).


"The family is the cornerstone of society, and is facing unprecedented challenges. We must remain focused in our resolve to ensure the traditional family structure is supported and remains intact for future generations.”

By Iowa Governor-Elect Terry E. Branstad & Lt. Governor-Elect Kim Reynolds (written in a letter to Choices Medical Clinic, Iowa City, Iowa)

A Medical Perspective:

This is a personal story. I want to share it with you, because it puts our Sanctity of Human Life ethic in perspective. Go back to 1993: Elissa was her mom’s first pregnancy. Prenatal course was uneventful. Labor at term complication meant an emergency CS was done. I was stunned to deliver a beautiful girl baby with basically no legs. Severe caudal regression syndrome. Totally unexpected. What do you say to the mother and dad? I just prayed “Oh, Lord, give me the right thing to say, and help me not to say something stupid to these parents who are in shock!”



Fast forward to the present. Recently I received a letter from Elissa’s mom. She said, “Elissa has just graduated from high school (at 17, a year early) and she graduated in the top 8% of her class of 650. She will be going on to study Biology in a pre-vet program. She will also be playing on the wheelchair basketball team. You told us when she was born that she was a gift from God, and that things would work out. Little did we know that night at the hospital how true all that was.”



I encourage you not to buy our culture’s demeaning view that if a baby is not “perfect” it will be a burden and the mother should consider aborting it. God has much better plans. “His power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9



By Dr. Joe DeCook (member of American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians & Gynecologists (AAPLOG) & NIFLA Medical Advisory Council)