By Mika Hartman
It has been in the news a lot about promoting abortion for disabled babies, even in the State of the Union Address. A lady in Texas crossed the border to secure her abortion of her disabled daughter, a daughter she would have kept had no diagnosis been present. Disabled lives matter.
We removed God from schools and allowed The Word of God to be abandoned; many have forgotten or were never taught the Bible:
Psalm 139:13-14 “For You formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; My soul knows it well.”
Do you read anywhere in this passage that this only applies to only “typical” or “healthy” babies? Nope. This applies to ALL.
EXTRA Wonderfully Made!
All children are unique and special, and everyone is important to God because Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image. Male and female, He created them.
As one mom was searching to murder her unborn child, completely oblivious that her daughter is a gift from God, I am reading about two moms, one I know personally, begging God to give them more time with their beautiful babies. That every second longer they get is precious time. The two babies were both born with disabilities and are both deeply loved. Love will always want more time.
Never will you know the time of your last breath, it is only known by God…. Unless you choose to end a life. So if you don’t know, shouldn’t you trust God wholeheartedly and be thankful for His gift of life? If a child is born and only survives minutes or hours, that small time is a gift. If a child surpasses time predicted, that is God, too. It is not our choice… at least it shouldn’t be. Bring God's full truth back, we need Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ’Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him.
Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.
In 2021, I was asked to speak at a Students For Life rally in Jackson. This was before the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. The victorious overturning started here in Jackson. Evil will continue to work hard to place in minds that my journey isn’t one that some would want to be on. If you trust God, you’d know He can turn your weakness into power. Hudson is a power all on his own, but he’s also a power to everyone he meets. He fights hard for his victories, he falls and he gets back up, he struggles and smiles simultaneously. He also brings joy to joyful and grumpy people he meets. He starts conversations with strangers. He makes people want to be better. I say he is EXTRA wonderfully made.
My speech from November 2021:
Hi! Thank you for being here.
I am a mom of an amazing boy, Hudson Hartman. Who happens to have an extra chromosome.
Maybe you have an extra something, too. An extra dose of sass? An extra ability for patience? Extra long legs? An extra toe, maybe? : ) Whatever it is, if it was able to be diagnosed in utero, I would still want you here. Because what you are is what makes you, you.
My Hudson’s “extra” was found at 12 weeks and 5 days. I went in for what I know now was one of the scariest days of my life.
Hudson’s ultrasound at 12 weeks and 5 days showed us findings of what is called “soft markers”. We didn’t know yet, boy or girl, but we could see that cutest button nose and that our baby had a thick neck like daddy’s. But, very concerning, I could see the heart blood flow. I knew it should be blue and red, but our baby had purple on the screen. Through these “soft markers” the room went dark, laughter stopped (when you're 41 and pregnant, joking/laughing is a must) but the room was cold. Panic, in and out of the room, new faces coming in, and now the news… we see concerns and you have “options”. I was invited to end Hudson’s life via abortion. A baby with a heartbeat. That can feel pain. Wow. Well, that was shut down quickly. Umm, we have a baby! Please help us get our baby here safely. That’s all we want to know. We knew (because my husband is medical) that information about our baby was important and we wanted to learn all we could. So we did the amniocentesis. Only to prepare us. Hardest longest three days ever. My husband was scanning in all of our ultrasound photos, just in case we wouldn’t get many more. The call came: Our BOY has Trisomy 21! The celebration of life went all weekend. We could get him here and love him and kiss him daily. Our prayers were answered, but we weren’t out of the woods yet. But hearing Trisomy 21 was music to our ears, a gift and we celebrated.
Out of all the trisomy situations, we could begin preparing for Trisomy 21 and a baby that could function outside the womb and lead a beautiful life!
But let’s rewind, I was immediately told, with no official proof of diagnosis that I had options. I am getting news that I have never processed before and instead of hearing I have support, I was given an option to end my baby’s life. WHAT?!
Abortion would have ripped Hudson limb from limb, and apart from me, his mother, his only safe place.
What’s happening at the Supreme Court this year, is monumental, for its potential to finally allow states to protect babies like Hudson from discrimination and violence. Right now, because of Roe v Wade and its companion cases, it is 1000% legal to kill a person based on their disability because they are in utero. It’s also 100% legal to kill babies based on their race, whether they are white or black, their gender, whether they are a boy or girl, and convenience. This has to end. We have to protect them all.
Abortion declares who get to live and who doesn’t. Genocide of Hudson’s buddies occurs every single day. 68% of babies with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome get aborted in the US.
Down syndrome or Trisomy 21 has this amazing fact:
Only 20% of eggs with a 21st chromosome survives the first cell division. Of that 20%, only 20% survive to fertilization. Of that 20%, only 20% actually survive the first cell division following fertilization. These children are miracles and have fought to live every step of the way. We should fight for their chance at the life we all get to live.
My son is a hero. A fighter. A miracle. He’s had open heart surgery at 3.5 months old and beat transient leukemia at 4 weeks of life with no medication. He walks, climbs, loves to swing, Hudson has the most powerful kisses and a smile that will change the world. He loves life and faces challenges like a boss! He’s my hero and my life is better because he was born. God makes no mistakes and Hudson, too, was created in His image.
For the momma’s out there that may receive a diagnosis like I did: my life is beautiful, fun, rewarding, and exactly what I dreamed of. Hudson is a gift. My gift to learn from and my gift to share. Let’s start saving his unborn best friends… there is strength in numbers. Choose life.
We love this life EXTRA big!
Mississippi is doing all it can to protect children like Hudson. In Mississippi, because of advocacy from me and other concerned citizen, we have the Human Life Equality Act that protects babies like Hudson, but should it really come down to zip code? Life is the biggest National Treasure we have… not gold, or oil, but human life. Open-mindedness and education will change this conversation.
I will close with this: My son, you don’t want to hear this, but he is discriminated against. No different than a baby conceived in rape. The baby is a gift, not the problem. Change your hearts. Prosecute the rapist, not give the child the death sentence. Love the extra your baby has, don’t be fooled by the sadness of the news, the journey is EXTRA amazing. Hudson is a person and he determines his abilities, I am there to be his biggest fan.
Love conquers all, not some, or most, but ALL.
Thank you.
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