Working as a nurse in a hospital Labor and Delivery Unit (LDU) in the 1970s was a wonderful part of my nursing career. The life of the mother and the safe delivery of a newborn was every doctor and nurse’s sole purpose.
It did not take long for the role of doctors and nurses within the LDU to change. In 1973, the Supreme Court established the right for a pregnant mother to terminate her pregnancy, ending the life of the child in her womb. What started as several early abortions performed in the quiet of doctors’ offices became late-pregnancy saline abortions in the LDU as women started making the “health care choice” to abort their baby much later in pregnancy. Now, instead of just focusing on bringing a healthy baby to full term, obstetricians and gynecologists were also required to aid in the intentional end of a baby’s life. Doctors were no longer necessary for the actual delivery process as the baby was not alive and LDU nurses could watch over the women until the delivery was complete. In these late-pregnancy abortions, the formed baby could be the same size as a naturally delivered baby.
When on duty, nurses were required to participate in these deliveries and care for these women, even if they did not agree with the mother’s decision. In any given shift, I could have one room where I was giving 100% to ensure a safe and healthy delivery of a sweet newborn and another room full of darkness and death, lacking in joy and anticipation. The conflict was impossible for me to reconcile in my heart or mind. My worldview tells me that life is precious and that ending another human’s life is not right, even if the law allows it. I could not be a nurse at the LDU if I had to be a part of those deaths.
“… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” – Joshua 24:15
Serenity Cheryl
