Have you ever met Baby Joshua? This is the name I gave to the plastic model of a three month old unborn baby that I use to demonstrate in my pro-life presentations.
In biology, a three month old human being in the mother’s womb is called a fetus, after it has passed its being a zygote and an embryo. The Latin word fetus actually means “my little one”. What a curt, endearing name, right? But nowadays, those who promote abortion belittle the value of the unborn baby by calling it fetus to remove any positive feelings for babies. No one wants to kill a baby. But who cares about the fetus, they say.
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And that is why, when I speak to the youth about respect and care for life, I first show them the wonder of creation – the growth and development of the baby inside the uterus. Then I show them the ugly pictures of abortion and what it does to the baby. Then I show them the fetal model to emphasize how innocent, weak and vulnerable it is, needing our care and love. Then I invite the audience to join me in the Spiritual Adoption Prayer for Unborn Babies. I explain – somewhere, there is a girl or a woman who is in distress because of a pregnancy she is not ready for. The baby in her womb is target for abortion. But with the power of prayer, she might meet someone who could give her the correct advice and help so she will be able to go on with her pregnancy. I tell the audience to think of a name to give to that baby that needs to be saved. The name I always choose is Baby Joshua. Joshua is the Jewish version of Jesus, Hesus or Jesus. And Jesus means Savior.
This plastic fetal model has saved so many babies in danger of abortion. I show it to the young women who come to our counseling center, insisting that abortion is the only way out of their predicament. They ask me, knowing I am a nurse, to give them the name of any medicine they can take in order to have their menses again, that is, to make them unpregnant. I then hold Baby Joshua in my palm and explain how every part of his body is now fully formed. The baby can feel, feed, and sleep or kick around at the age of three months.
Usually, the pregnant girl looks at the model in awe, begins to cry, and admits that she really does not want abortion. She just does not know what to do – abandoned by the father of the baby, fearful of the anger of her parents, unsure of what her future will be.
Step by step, we discuss her situation, looking for resources that she could tap, and offering our own resources: confidentiality (they are so afraid that the world will know), a place to stay while pregnant, go after the father of the baby to find out what he himself intends to do since this is his responsibility, or refer her to an OB for her prenatal check up and delivery. We also say we can find families who will foster care the baby for a few months if she is unable to take care of him/her and if she has not decided to have the baby for legal adoption yet. There are so many childless couples just wanting to adopt a child of their own.
Finally, we discuss with her what led her to this pregnancy that she was not ready for. If she is single, then we discuss about proper boy-girl relationships. If she is married, we explain to her the effectiveness of the modern, scientific natural family planning methods. We do not advice artificial contraceptives because they fail so often and this makes the woman go for abortion if a baby is conceived.
It is such a joy to be able to help these pregnant women decide to give birth to their babies. They walk out of our counseling center with a radiant smile and new hope, so different from the time when they walked in with long faces and puffy eyes from crying every night due to desperation.
We, counselors, have many stories to tell when we gather together (without mentioning names, of course). We are proud to be part of God’s apostles for life. We call ourselves the Life Savers! If you want to know more about our mission and maybe, someday, you could also be part of our rescue team, call Pro-life Office at 911-2911. Or just text me - 0920-945-5494. We care.
Please say this daily with me and help save many many babies from abortion!
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN
Jesus, Mary, Joseph,
I love you very much.
I beg you to spare the life
Of the unborn child that
I have spiritually adopted
Who is in danger of abortion.
The name of the baby I have adopted is:
______________________.
(Composed by Bishop Fulton Sheen)
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