Why Should I
Choose Life?
Surgeon Performs Procedure on Child in the Womb to Treat Spina Bifida
If you are still not sure whether the fetus inside you is a living human
being, consider this picture of a fetus who received life-altering surgery
while still in the womb.
The tiny hand of 21-week-old Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the womb of his mother, Julie
Armas, to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner, during a breakthrough surgery procedure to treat
spina bifida. The surgery took place at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville,
Tennessee, on August 19, 1999. Samuel was born by C-section 15 weeks after the surgery on
Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999 at 6:25 pm at Northside Hospital weighing 5 lbs 11 oz and 20 1/2" long. He
was born at 36 weeks.

Spina Bifida is a debilitating disease which damages the spinal cord, which can cause paralysis or
weakness of the legs, bowel and bladder incontinence, neurological impairments and learning
disabilities. Nearly all children born with spina bifida must undergo surgery to implant permanent
shunts -- thin tubes that remove excess fluid that could otherwise cause brain damage. Although
Samuel has had multiple surgeries since birth, he has avoided many of the more serious problems of
Spina Bifida as a result of the surgery within his mother's womb.

More about this story and this photograph can be found at http://www.michaelclancy.com/.
More Educational videos about the nature of unborn life are available
from Rosary Films on YouTube.
Choose Life Perspectives
"I am among all men most richly blessed."
"You have formed me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am wonderfully made."
Psalm 139, v. 13-14
99 Balloons - The Story of Eliot
Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA
that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However,
that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy
who never uttered a word.

Check out www.ninetynineballoons.com for more information about Eliot.
I believe I can change my life at any moment, just by turning the
corner. By speaking a word, Or by leaving word unsaid.
I believe in the awesome potential in every acorn, every atom, every
idea.
I believe in marigolds, when they're only a few dry seeds. In
butterflies, when that are still grey cocoons. In the song of birds
before their eggs begin to hatch.
And I believe in my baby, even before I can feel Life, or see its little
face.
Now tell me about you. What do you believe in?
Countless numbers of people suffering from catastrophic diseases
are waiting for a particular child to be born. They don't know the
baby's name. They may not even be aware that they are waiting. But
that special child will hold in its hand the cure for their disease.
This baby could be born now, tomorrow, next week. It could be the
child you are carrying, or the baby you will shortly conceive. It could
hold a million lives in its soft little hand.
Starving families in Third World countries - and in our own - are
hoping for the birth of a child who will bring them the answer to
world hunger, who will help us to feed ourselves and our neighbors,
and teach us to sit down in peace and break bread together. Whose
womb bears this child? Could it be yours?
Any moment now, some mother could give birth to the child who will
erase racial barriers, tear down walls, teach us to respect each
other - and ourselves - for who we really are. The time is ripe. Is it
here? Is it now? Is it you?
What's Happening Inside My Body?
When you are pregnant, it is important for you to understand what is really happening
inside your body. If you are pregnant and not sure what is going on inside your body, take
a look at this video which has pictures of a fetus at various stages of development from
conception to birth.
Still not sure what's really going on inside you? Recent
developments in fetal ultrasound technology including 3D
and 4D scanning now provide amazingly detailed views of
the unborn in the womb as early as 8 weeks. An example
of such imaging is shown at left. See more ultrasound
images here.
Views Inside the Womb