To The Reader’s Forum:

One candidate for the Democratic nomination for President this past Wednesday was asked whether there was room in the Democratic Party for a Pro-life candidate since John Bel Edwards, the newly elected Democratic governor of Louisiana is pro-life and has recently signed anti-abortion legislation. She refused to directly answer the question, but instead promoted her own pro-choice position. With this in mind I am reminded of the favorite, nostalgic, fantasy 1946 film which will soon be on our televisions again during this coming holiday season — “It’s a Wonderful life”. George Bailey played by Jimmy Stewart is despondent over the probable impending failure of the building and loan business he has taken over from his father and is about to take his life when an angel appears and gives him another chance. George is shown what life would be like if he had never been born and it isn’t pretty! In real life it sometimes happens that we find out what will occur when we avoid something we might later regret.

This happened to my cousin. I will call her Linda to protect her identity. Linda was living in Florida and had three children. She didn’t want more children, but became pregnant again. This took place sometime before the Roe vs Wade decision by the Supreme Court legalizing abortion. At the time, in Florida abortion was legal only in cases of danger to the women’s health, rape or incest or in the case of a likely damaged fetus. Three years prior to the Roe vs Wade decision, New York state had legalized abortion with the exception of later term pregnancies. Linda decided to travel to New York for an abortion. She came to Jamestown where she had relatives. Linda did, so to speak, meet an angel, it was her aunt. She persuaded her not to terminate her pregnancy. Linda went back to Florida and delivered a healthy baby girl. I think I can say something positive about all of Linda’s children, but in my own mind this daughter is the most impressive of them all. She grew up to be a teacher and married a teacher and is a most outstanding person. I don’t honestly know if my cousin ever told her daughter how her life almost did not come to be.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” of course is only make believe, but all of us have the ability to imagine our future and while we cannot predict the future, the truth is that while a woman may genuinely be in a very difficult situation with a pregnancy, and we can feel for her, there is real hope that the darkness will only be temporary and the child to be born can be special and not only cherish their own life but as well be a blessing to others.

Dr. James W. Faulk

Lakewood