PRESIDENT SUPPORTS ‘THOSE WITH DISABILITIES’ : SCHIAVO
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
"I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."
President George W. Bush made that sentence his concluding declaration in his public statement regarding the Terri Schiavo situation.
Once one declares that life — all life — is paramount, then no thread can unweave the garment’s fabric. The tapestry remains firm. Every thread must stay in place. Only God then can rearrange this span’s threads for the eternal weave.
Mr. Bush has brought to the fore America’s conviction that all life is paramount. Some other countries have started to tamper with the threads. The Dutch, for example, have medical professionals who are convicted that they have the moral right to undo the lives of infants in need, in their opinion, of death. Therefore, doctors have snuffed out some of those tiny lives.
Where will it all end when one thread is pulled from the garment’s fabric?
When you become disabled, placed in a nursing home, and then become a nuisance, what will be the next move? The next move of your closest kin? The government? The courts in your jurisdiction?
A young couple close to us gave birth to twins recently. One was born dead. The other was born with kidneys not working properly. The Lord took both infants — one at birth and the other soon thereafter. God unwove the temporary fabric of this world for heaven’s eternal weave. For the first twin it was an immediate transformation.
For the second, it was after several hours. But God had complete jurisdiction over the existences of those two mortals.
When America hears its President declare conviction regarding "life for all Americans, including those with disabilities," that immediately raises the culture’s level. It lifts the life standard. It puts on warning that all human life is precious, especially warning those tending to discount the "inconvenient" among us.
Convenience. Inconvenience. For many it’s as simple as that. Is the life an inconvenience, a bother, a nuisance, someone in the way, an obstacle? If so, we’ve got to find a way to make quick exit so that the rest of us can be more comfortable.
But human life is not relegated to convenience or inconvenience. Creator God brings human life into existence. Therefore, human life makes exit according to Creator God. To tamper with human life’s close is to play deity. We never have that right handed us.
Of course there is suffering here on Earth. Welcome to a spiritually damaged sphere. Only in heaven is there perfection. However, there are those irresponsible persons who press for eternal perfection here, now. Yet can they provide it? No. They are just as much victims of this temporary, damaged world as the rest of us. Can they then find the courage to grapple with the difficulties, some of them seemingly impossible?
What if Moses’ mother had given up on him? She was in a very difficult place when holding that baby in her arms. Her infant, according to governmental decree, should not be living. Better then to snuff out his little life. After all, he was a major inconvenience to everyone concerned. But not to Moses’ mother. She found a way to preserve his existence. And in that came the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egyptian bondage. God provided a way to turn inconvenience, laden with fear, into a rescue miracle.
What if Mary had aborted her pregnancy? She, unmarried, was found with child. She, poor and dependant on family, had little support. Surely her child would prove a major inconvenience, especially a dishonor to Joseph to whom she was betrothed but not married. Not so. Mary carried the Convenience, though with questions and obstacles to overcome ranging from Herod’s swords to Egypt’s temporary stay. The believing world forever thanks heaven that Mary saw through "the Problem?" by grace and faith.
Those disabled throughout our nation are heartened today by the President’s stand. Those in the medical profession who value life — all life — are encouraged by his public statement. Those who care for the disabled henceforth have a clearer mandate — keep on keeping on, lovingly so.
With such a moral climate enveloping America, we all can anticipate a fuller, healthier and more hope-lined journey. Considering our daily trials, God knows we can use all of that in great measure.
Thank you, Mr. President, for bringing basics once again into focus for this generation and those yet to be.
FOOTNOTE:
President George W. Bush made the following statement on March 21, 2005:
"Today, I signed into law a bill that will allow Federal courts to hear a claim by or on behalf of Terri Schiavo for violation of her rights relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life. In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. This presumption is especially critical for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others. I appreciate the bipartisan action by the Members of Congress to pass this bill. I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."
"I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."
President George W. Bush made that sentence his concluding declaration in his public statement regarding the Terri Schiavo situation.
Once one declares that life — all life — is paramount, then no thread can unweave the garment’s fabric. The tapestry remains firm. Every thread must stay in place. Only God then can rearrange this span’s threads for the eternal weave.
Mr. Bush has brought to the fore America’s conviction that all life is paramount. Some other countries have started to tamper with the threads. The Dutch, for example, have medical professionals who are convicted that they have the moral right to undo the lives of infants in need, in their opinion, of death. Therefore, doctors have snuffed out some of those tiny lives.
Where will it all end when one thread is pulled from the garment’s fabric?
When you become disabled, placed in a nursing home, and then become a nuisance, what will be the next move? The next move of your closest kin? The government? The courts in your jurisdiction?
A young couple close to us gave birth to twins recently. One was born dead. The other was born with kidneys not working properly. The Lord took both infants — one at birth and the other soon thereafter. God unwove the temporary fabric of this world for heaven’s eternal weave. For the first twin it was an immediate transformation.
For the second, it was after several hours. But God had complete jurisdiction over the existences of those two mortals.
When America hears its President declare conviction regarding "life for all Americans, including those with disabilities," that immediately raises the culture’s level. It lifts the life standard. It puts on warning that all human life is precious, especially warning those tending to discount the "inconvenient" among us.
Convenience. Inconvenience. For many it’s as simple as that. Is the life an inconvenience, a bother, a nuisance, someone in the way, an obstacle? If so, we’ve got to find a way to make quick exit so that the rest of us can be more comfortable.
But human life is not relegated to convenience or inconvenience. Creator God brings human life into existence. Therefore, human life makes exit according to Creator God. To tamper with human life’s close is to play deity. We never have that right handed us.
Of course there is suffering here on Earth. Welcome to a spiritually damaged sphere. Only in heaven is there perfection. However, there are those irresponsible persons who press for eternal perfection here, now. Yet can they provide it? No. They are just as much victims of this temporary, damaged world as the rest of us. Can they then find the courage to grapple with the difficulties, some of them seemingly impossible?
What if Moses’ mother had given up on him? She was in a very difficult place when holding that baby in her arms. Her infant, according to governmental decree, should not be living. Better then to snuff out his little life. After all, he was a major inconvenience to everyone concerned. But not to Moses’ mother. She found a way to preserve his existence. And in that came the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egyptian bondage. God provided a way to turn inconvenience, laden with fear, into a rescue miracle.
What if Mary had aborted her pregnancy? She, unmarried, was found with child. She, poor and dependant on family, had little support. Surely her child would prove a major inconvenience, especially a dishonor to Joseph to whom she was betrothed but not married. Not so. Mary carried the Convenience, though with questions and obstacles to overcome ranging from Herod’s swords to Egypt’s temporary stay. The believing world forever thanks heaven that Mary saw through "the Problem?" by grace and faith.
Those disabled throughout our nation are heartened today by the President’s stand. Those in the medical profession who value life — all life — are encouraged by his public statement. Those who care for the disabled henceforth have a clearer mandate — keep on keeping on, lovingly so.
With such a moral climate enveloping America, we all can anticipate a fuller, healthier and more hope-lined journey. Considering our daily trials, God knows we can use all of that in great measure.
Thank you, Mr. President, for bringing basics once again into focus for this generation and those yet to be.
FOOTNOTE:
President George W. Bush made the following statement on March 21, 2005:
"Today, I signed into law a bill that will allow Federal courts to hear a claim by or on behalf of Terri Schiavo for violation of her rights relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life. In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life. This presumption is especially critical for those like Terri Schiavo who live at the mercy of others. I appreciate the bipartisan action by the Members of Congress to pass this bill. I will continue to stand on the side of those defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities."
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