I will be visiting my best friend next month, who is the foster mother of a 22 year old man (they got permanent custody when he came of age as he is permantent total disability). He was diagnosed as having no brain before birth, born on with a brain stem and no brain, and consigned to a home for the hopelessly retarded (as it was called at that time) and not expected to live past 3 months, then a year, then 2, then puberty etc. While is head is abnormally small and misshapen, he has a vocabulary comparable to a 3 year old child, learned to walk, play basketball, vacuum floors (his favorite activity on one he is paid for in his sheltered job at a local college dining hall), ride horseback, and play with his 4 older foster brothers. He attended school and now sheltered workshop and is a joy to all who know him. I helped prepare him for first communion and his desire for the sacrament and love of Jesus are manifest and leaves no room for doubt. You should hear him sing Christmas carols (all year long, Gloooorriiiiaaaa is his favorite).
His natural mother was advised to abort but did not do it soon enough, gave birth and signed all rights away, the only thing we know about her is that she thought abortion was wrong, even though it was legal in her case.
bottom line such diagnoses are seldom firm and without possibility of error so such a drastic step as abortion is inadvisible even on medical grounds.
