Discrimination against people with disabilities and physical defects is pervasive in today’s culture. Recently, a newborn baby girl with physical abnormalities faced discrimination from a family who planned to adopt her.
Through the series of tragic events, however, a blessing came about for the little girl when her biological mother decided to parent her herself.
The Northwest Florida Daily News reports when 36-year-old Christina Fischer discovered that she was pregnant last year, she decided to pursue an adoption plan for her unborn daughter. At the time, Fischer said she was homeless, and her relationship with her baby’s father had ended. Abortion was not an option for her, so she decided to look into adoption.
Here is more from the report:
Through an agency, she was paired with the family in Georgia. She talked to them weekly and sent them photos of the ultrasounds.
The prenatal tests were normal.
“Nothing was detected, they just told me her ears looked a little small,” she recalled of the prenatal testing.
On Jan. 6, Christina was admitted into Sacred Heart Hospital for pre-eclampsia. She called the family who arrived a day later and stayed until Abigail was born on Jan. 11.
“I let her (adoptive mom) take the other wristband into the NICU,” Christina said. “She came out crying, looked at [Christina’s 18-year-old daughter] Debra and left the hospital. We never heard from them again.”
The adoption agency was “appalled” by the news, Christina said, and the family has been “flagged” in the agency‘s system.
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Doctors told Christina that her baby had Treacher Collins, a condition that affects the bones and tissue of the face, causing malformation.
Despite her struggles, Christina decided to parent baby Abigail herself. Now she can’t imagine life without her baby girl. She told the news outlet that she does not see Abigail’s deformities; instead, she sees a “little angel.”
An online fundraiser has been set up to help Christina and Abigail with basic expenses, including food, clothing and medical care.
Discrimination against people with physical abnormalities and disabilities concerns pro-lifers greatly. The movement has been working to eradicate the discrimination, especially against babies in the womb. Indiana just became the second state to pass a law to protect unborn babies with genetic abnormalities like Down syndrome from being aborted.
And, unlike Abigail’s situation, a growing number of families are pursuing adoption of children who are often labeled “unwanted” because they have disabilities.
Through these and other means, pro-lifers are working to change the culture into one that values every human life.
