Deep in the Heart of Texas

Advocates for abortion in the media are foaming at the mouth after the Texas State Supreme Court upheld the Texas abortion ban and prevented a medical exemption for Kate Cox to have an abortion performed on her child with Edwards Syndrome. Reading the news reports, one would think that Edwards Syndrome was some mutant genetic syndrome that causes the baby to become a ticking time bomb ready to send shrapnel throughout the mother's body.

The reason why the pro-abortion media jumped on this story is because Edwards Syndrome is exceptionally rare and, as a result, widely unknown. Their goal is to give you just enough information to let you know this disease exists and then let the reader's imagination run wild.

So What Is Edwards Syndrome?

Edwards Syndrome is merely an extra chromosome, not unlike Down Syndrome. Only, whereas Down Syndrome involves a third instance of chromosome 21; Edwards Syndrome involves a third instance of chromosome 18. The consequences of this are a bit more dire than Down Syndrome, however.

A child conceived with Edwards Syndrome is only given a 5% chance to survive his or (and more likely) her birth. Importantly, it is impossible to give a prognosis on the survivability or severity for each individual child in the womb. However, while miracles happen every day, it's very likely to result in a miscarriage or still birth.

If a baby with Edwards Syndrome survives birth, the child will likely be born with heart, kidney and esophagus abnormalities; an intellectual disability; and likely malformed ears, hands, and feet, small jaw, and a smaller head than normal. Of the 5% that were born, about 9.8% of those children made it to age 10 and a whopping 68.6% would survive their infancy if they had could receive surgical intervention. This study finding the survivability was improving with medical advances was done back in 2012, so the numbers may even be more optimistic today.

The most famous child with Edwards Syndrome, at least in the United States, was Bella Santorum, Bella Santorum, daughter of former US Senator and 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum. From the time we first suspected Rick Santorum was going to run for President when Bella was barely one year old, she stole the hearts of people across the country and inspired many people to pray to God for her health.

Rick and Karen Santorum have had to move heaven and earth for their daughter since then, but she's 15 years old today and still acting as a conduit for God's graces to everyone around her, including Pope Francis.

The oldest I'm aware of someone living with Edwards Syndrome was Donnie Heaton, who made it to 22 years of age before passing away in 2015. I want you to read this from the Tampa Bay Times upon Donnie Heaton's death:

He never ate a Happy Meal or ran the bases or spoke a word. His mom says he spent half of his 22 years in the hospital. The most he ever weighed was 55 pounds.

But Donald Robert Heaton's family and friends believe that everyone is born for a reason, and Donnie was a gift. They believe his reason was to teach lessons of love and strength.

"We used to pray for Donnie to be healed," said his aunt, Miriam Wood. "But we realized God created him just the way he is because his life touched so many people."

...

On June 1, Donnie graduated from the Nina Harris Exceptional Student Center. He was awarded the "Papi's Perseverance Award," an annual recognition of students who set an example through accomplishment, positive attitude and individuality. In her nomination of Donnie, his teacher, Christie Vaughan, wrote of his contagious laughter, smile and spirit.

"Here is a boy who cannot walk, talk, eat or drink; who has persevered through so many surgeries and hospitalizations," Vaughan wrote. "He has a purpose on this earth, and that is to bring joy to all those who care for and love him."

Donnie's father died when Donnie was 11, leaving Karen to parent him alone, creating a strong bond between the two. A Tampa Bay Times story in 2013 detailed their relationship.

According to family friend Sarah Knight, Donnie became the man of the house, in his own way, giving love and comfort back to his mother, who battled cancer and a stroke over the last few years.

"After Karen's stroke, she was lying on the floor with him on his pallet, and he rolled over and put his arms around her," Knight said.

Though he didn't speak, he let people know his feelings, which were usually upbeat. "We all questioned how much Donnie could understand," Wood said. "But we knew when he was happy. He was always happy. He would smile and clap his hands with great feeling. If you could see him smile, you'd be ashamed of yourself for complaining about your life."

Karen Heaton believes that, though his mind was that of a 6-year-old, Donnie's faith in God was real, and together they attended Journey Church in St. Petersburg. Pastor Craig Brown said Donnie would respond vocally in church and raise his hands in the air.

"When I would raise my voice in church and he liked what was happening, Donnie would get excited and clap his hands and speak like he could," Brown said. "Sometimes that was the only amen I got."

Knight recalled the many people who loved Donnie and wanted to make him happy. On Donnie's 18th birthday, a family friend rode his motorcycle over to the house to take him for a ride.

"He said, 'You're 18 now, and you don't have to listen to your mama. I'm going to take you for a ride on my motorcycle,'" Knight said. "He set him up there and got behind him and Donnie was just squealing with glee. He was crazy happy."

Two weeks after clapping for his friends at graduation, after receiving his award, 22-year-old Donnie, who loved school, happy songs, crinkly things, hugs, the movie Cars and most of all, his mother, fell ill and was hospitalized again. His mother tried not to worry too much. They'd been there before.

"I just knew he was going to come back from the hospital," she said. "He had resiliency; he bounced back every time. But he didn't come back this time."

He died on Father's Day. There were more than 200 people at his memorial, so many that the venue was changed from their small church to the Gateway Christian Center. "He touched every life there," Knight said. "The special ones have a hidden holiness. Donnie was closer to Jesus than most of us."

Karen Heaton believes her son is with his dad now. Wiping her tears, she said: "He was my life. He made me so happy. I loved being his mom. I thank God for my friends and relatives, but there's no one to take Donnie's place."

Being Pro-Life Means Appreciating the Value in Life

Inside Kate Cox is a living, unique child. The Supreme Court of Texas upheld the law that recognizes the value in each human life, no matter how weak, short, or genetically imperfect. It's a law that acknowledges that even those with physical and intellectual disabilities can change the world for the better.

It's too easy to say, "This child will only be a burden," or "It's impossible for this baby to amount to anything." The Christian faith indeed affirms the value of life, most especially for the sick and poor. Yet, even without a belief in God, if you take the time to look for it and have an open mind about the ways people benefit one another, it's possible to see how even a miscarried or stillborn child could bring light into the world despite the tragedy of their death.

What Happens Next in Texas?

The firestorm caused by this decision is only going to continue. For years, Democrats from California have been flooding into Texas to take advantage of the lower taxes, cheaper energy, more freedom, and better job opportunities. Since 2014, the Democrats have been fighting mercilessly to flip the state from Red to Blue; which would wreck any hopes of Republicans winning a Presidential election ever again. Although Republicans have held on with relative ease despite misleading polling data before the elections, the results of referendums in red states across the country on abortion make this issue blood in the water for Democrats in Texas.

Even though the Texas law permits abortions in the event that the pregnancy jeopardizes the health of the mother, either pro-abortion doctors or an inept hospital are going to unjustly refuse care to a woman claiming the law made it impossible to cover their butts legally; and when the woman is seriously injured or dies, she'll be a symbol and martyr for the left to rally around when denouncing the "unjust" law in Texas. Sound extreme? It is, and it's what the pro-abortion left has already done in Ireland.

The left fights extremely dirty and they're extremely angry after the overturn of Roe v Wade. How Texas voters respond to this is going to be very important in 2024. Will they vote to uphold the value of each individual life (even if pro-lifers have a serious messaging problem at the moment), or will they be prey to the tactics and trickery of the pro-abortion left that cares more about politics than people and has lied about virtually every promise for decades?