Since this letter was shared I've deleted a few particularly heartless comments and blocked someone from ever interacting with Letters of Note again. It's utterly depressing. Please be civil.
These absolutely most personal choices are indeed life-altering. Everyone can respect this one--or at least be happy for the individual decision-maker. That the implication here implies that this individual's choice should be everyone's is presumptuous. The doctor here is made to be a generic villain in a specifically personal narrative. Any potential mother--with the input of her spouse or partner, counselor, and physician--should be respected for her own moral compass, critical thinking, and reproductive understanding.
I'm the mom of 2 Renpenning (Fragile X) sons ... okay, the stepmom but the biological mother moved across the country. One has since died, the other lives in assisted living; he's middle-age and developmentally less then 24 months (as was his brother). When I was dating their father, I was enchanted by his goodness and niceness and kindness to everyone. It was the day he unexpectedly arrived at my home with his sons (at that time, in their early 20s) that convinced me he was the man of my dreams. We have our son home with us on weekends and it is as it should be. I wasn't able to bear children, but I have the perfect family. Very little in life is black/white. We're on a very wide grey scale. Thank you for this letter. I hope everyone "gets" it.
I have read your email for several years. I have passed numerous posts to friends and referred to other posts in writing and speaking. This is the finest post I've read on your site. Thank you. Thank you.
Yes she is perfect and isn't it wonderful you had the Choice to have her. Every women, every circumstance, every condition--the severity or threat to the life of a woman-is different and personal and private and should certainly be a matter of Choice. Your choice was yours to make and you indeed made it for yourself. Every woman should have the same right to make her own Choice.
I am a dad of three and I get the joy the writer expresses. However that she had the choice is fundamentally important. Our wonderful third came very late and quite unexpectedly, it was important to us that we chose to go ahead despite the upheaval to the family. That it has always been a joy is in part because we made a choice to go ahead
Since this letter was shared I've deleted a few particularly heartless comments and blocked someone from ever interacting with Letters of Note again. It's utterly depressing. Please be civil.
These absolutely most personal choices are indeed life-altering. Everyone can respect this one--or at least be happy for the individual decision-maker. That the implication here implies that this individual's choice should be everyone's is presumptuous. The doctor here is made to be a generic villain in a specifically personal narrative. Any potential mother--with the input of her spouse or partner, counselor, and physician--should be respected for her own moral compass, critical thinking, and reproductive understanding.
I'm the mom of 2 Renpenning (Fragile X) sons ... okay, the stepmom but the biological mother moved across the country. One has since died, the other lives in assisted living; he's middle-age and developmentally less then 24 months (as was his brother). When I was dating their father, I was enchanted by his goodness and niceness and kindness to everyone. It was the day he unexpectedly arrived at my home with his sons (at that time, in their early 20s) that convinced me he was the man of my dreams. We have our son home with us on weekends and it is as it should be. I wasn't able to bear children, but I have the perfect family. Very little in life is black/white. We're on a very wide grey scale. Thank you for this letter. I hope everyone "gets" it.
I have read your email for several years. I have passed numerous posts to friends and referred to other posts in writing and speaking. This is the finest post I've read on your site. Thank you. Thank you.
Yes she is perfect and isn't it wonderful you had the Choice to have her. Every women, every circumstance, every condition--the severity or threat to the life of a woman-is different and personal and private and should certainly be a matter of Choice. Your choice was yours to make and you indeed made it for yourself. Every woman should have the same right to make her own Choice.
It's complicated.
What a beautiful letter, and such a sweet little girl 💗
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for posting this. The world needs this type of thinking!
Emersyn and her mom's love is more powerful than they could ever imagine. It's inspiring! Thank you all for this letter.
I am a dad of three and I get the joy the writer expresses. However that she had the choice is fundamentally important. Our wonderful third came very late and quite unexpectedly, it was important to us that we chose to go ahead despite the upheaval to the family. That it has always been a joy is in part because we made a choice to go ahead
My sister had Down's Syndrome. She was perfect too, and so beloved. So precious and loving. Thank you for sharing this beautiful letter. ♥
Wow, what a letter ... Thanks for sourcing this Shaun. I have two little girls who are happy and healthy, and I take that for granted.
I cannot imagine the feeling of being told that it would be best to "terminate" our child, let alone my wife being told that.
So pleased to hear that this story is a happy story...a miracle story!
A perfect letter. Thank you for sharing it. It touched my heart profoundly.
Perfect!!!
very sweet.
Oh my ❤️