Dear Mom . . .
January 23, 2012 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
January 22, 2023
Dear Mom:
Can you believe it is already the year 2023? I’m still writing ’22 on everything! It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the first grade and celebrating the change to a new century.
I know we really haven’t chatted since Christmas, Mom, and I’m sorry. Anyway, I have some difficult news to share with you and, to be honest, I really didn’t want to call or talk about this face to face.
But before I get to that, let me report that Ted just got a big promotion, and I should be up for a hefty raise this year if I keep putting in all those crazy hours. You know how I work at it. (Yes, we’re still struggling to pay the bills.)
Little Timmy’s been okay at kindergarten, although he complains about going. But then, he wasn’t happy about the day-care center either. So what can we do?
He’s been a real problem, Mom. He’s a good kid, but quite honestly, he’s an unfair burden on us at this time in our lives.Ted and I have talked this through, and we have finally made a choice. Plenty of other families have made the same choice and are really better off today.Our pastor is supportive of our choice. He pointed out the family is a system, and the demands of one member shouldn’t be allowed to ruin the whole. The pastor told us to be prayerful and to consider all the factors as to what is right to make our family work. He says that even though he probably wouldn’t do it himself, the choice really is ours. He was kind enough to refer us to a children’s clinic near here, so at least that part is easy.Don’t get me wrong, Mom. I’m not an uncaring mother. I do feel sorry for the little guy. I think he heard Ted and me talking about this the other night. I turned and saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs in his PJ’s with his little teddy bear that you gave him under his arm, and his eyes were sort of welled up with tears.
Mom, the way he looked at me just about broke my heart, but I honestly believe this is better for Timmy, too. It’s just not fair to force him to live in a family that can’t give him the time and attention he deserves.
And please, Mom, don’t give me the kind of grief that grandma gave you over your abortions. It’s the same thing, you know. There’s really no difference.
We’ve told Timmy he’s just going in for a “vaccination.” Anyway, they say the termination procedure is painless. I guess it’s just as well that you haven’t seen that much of little Timmy lately.
Please give my love to Dad.
Your daughter
I’ve always said it…why stop at a few months before birth? Why not just make the killing of children who become a nuisance to their parents legal? It is no different than abortion except you can see their faces, and they can express their pain in plain sight…I don’t believe anyone can say, in all honesty, that abortion is a good thing in and of itself. That it is typically a last resort, means there exist better options, than abortion and it usually requires loving support of family or friends. That’s what women in these predicaments really need. This is legalized killing in the guise of freedom of choice. But the babies have no choice…and it is their tiny bodies not the mother’s that would be mutilated.
I find this piece very interesting considering my brother in-law used to throw in the following line into the abortion conversation, “heck why stop at 20 weeks after conception? I think we should raise it to 16 years old!!”. Of course there was disgust at this comment, but I suspect people expected that from Simon and dismissed his utterly serious and strongly Catholic stance.
In Belgium it is already the year 2023 the law was passed this February to euthanize terminally ill children.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26181615
As I was reading this I started to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach…Dear God, What will this world come to? The devil has been unleashed and if we, as Christians and Catholics, do not get on board and turn this society around humans will not be here much longer!
Terrifying. I do have to comment though. Obviously not finding oneself in the situation of being a single unwed mother is preferable – however, those who condemn that mother for choosing NOT to abort her unborn child are just a reprehensible as those who would choose to murder a child. And abortion is murder – once the Lord creates that life – day 1 – it is a child.
And for those who may wonder – yes I am a single unwed mother – at 42. I chose to keep my daughter (was never a question) but some family members have made it their mission to make sure I know what a terrible thing I’ve done and how I’ve condemned my child to everlasting sin as the product of a unsactified relation.
My actions may put me in a position to have to answer to my Lord some day – but HE chose to allow my daughter to come into being and SHE is sinless in this.
Not hard to believe given the pro-death arguments out there. It is “youth”anasia.
You are truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, our society would just debate even this scenario to death…We know as Catholics that mortal sin, by definition, kills the soul to see truth. I know we must fight for life and equally fight to save souls. These evils spread so much and only God can help us enlighten hearts and souls. This piece is brilliant and an obvious Spirit filled work you’ve taken on. Thank you.
All I can say is WOW!! Just recently with this whole election debate did it finally sink in what one of my many purposes in life should be. To talk to those individuals that are Pro Choice. My mom was from a wealhty catholic family and was dating my dad who was from a poor not so fortunate family. She became pregnant. Her family kept pressuring her to abort and no one would hate her. She needed to think about her future since she was only 18 and had an offer to work in Washington DC. She decided to keep the baby and marry my dad. I thank GOD everyday that she made that choice back in 1975. Had she been selfish and chose abortion, I would not be here today and not experience the joys of working, being stressful :0 , and having kids!! Women need to understnad the circumstances of their choices they make. Yes, my mom became pregnant out of wedlock but does not mean I deserved to die. Women need to understand that if they become pregnant, they do not always have to keep the child. My parents’ best friends took them 11 years to adopt! 11 years!!!! Had more kids been given up for adoption rather than murdered, more families who cannot have kids would be able to adopt here in the US and much more quickly! Very sad!!
Wow! It really shakes you to the core. As I was reading it, part of me kind of knew where it would end, but part of me resisted to accept that. Nowadays I’ve read that some “scholars” are talking about “post-birth” abortions and in some country they already legislated that the baby inside the womb can not be considered a human being. It is where we are heading definitely. We can only desperately cry out to Our Lady to come and help us. I can understand why we need the chastisement coming from God, how can this be stopped? One terrible consecuence of denying God is the loss of the light of reason and common sense. We can see plenty of that nowadays.
made me cry…
Oh my goodness! What a powerful letter, and it made me believe that it probably isn’t too far away either! Even now, they’re aborting babies with known Down Syndrome and others. I’ve read also discussions about killing the babies after birth with afflictions that might affect their “quality of life” and put an “unjust” burden on their parents. This might happen sooner than we think if all of Obama care goes through, as the “death panel”(no physicians on this) may consider it “too expensive” to maintain medical attention and therapy and thus give a “no win” proposition to health care and hospitals. Perhaps we need the Catholic orphanages back that we used to have (before the decimation of most of the nuns and clergy) to take these children in the future. I’m sure too that us seniors will also be on the list—after all, if you can’t contribute to society anymore or getting “useless” surgeries…….please pray for our country.
Powerful post. If we continue to deny the humanity of the unborn child , it is just a stones throw to accept that disturbing logic , as promoted by atheistic philosophers like Peter Singer. Canada had a very disturbing case in Winnepeg where a distraght mother strangled her 8 day old child, threw it over a fence, and the justice let her off with the logic that if she had done it only 9 days earlier ( ie aborted )it would not have been a crime. Eugenics is being practiced throughout the western world, from sex selection abortions, to the abortions of any baby diagnosed with unfavorable amniocentesis results. As a society , we love physical perfection , children are accessories, and need to compliment and enhance our perfect lives. We are shallow, selfish and short-sighted. God have mercy.
Very disturbing to think this may some day be a reality with the direction our world is going. Brought tears to my eyes.
Sick…that is what I think.. Horrifying…evil…straight from hell!!!
God forbid that this is what our country is coming to….
Sharon
With the current administration/cabinet in place and their agenda and mindset, if the comming election doesn’t put them on the streets looking for work, it will come to pass where parents will be allowed to do just that and more. Since 1965, this country has been going down hill and with each passing year, the slide is getting a little faster each year, and at present, it shows no sign of slowing down and I become moe afraid every passing year that it will be too late too soon. I am not perfect and I have done plenty in my life that I am not proud of, but abortion and birth-control is something I have never supported for any reason. I pray that the Lord forgives me of my sins and gives me the strength I need to live as He sees fit for me. I pray that the people of this nation doesn’t fall for the “Obama truth” again.
It all comes down to selfishness and convenience. The first time I read about how an abortion happens, I found out they stick a six inch needle into the baby’s heart and inject a chemical which causes a heart attack. I feel sick about this. If it is not killing than what is it? As our reading for today said, Christ came to love and teach and serve others he never did anything for himself. We need to educate our young children about Christ’s example and the gift of live. There is a wonderful movie coming ‘October Baby” about the life of a girl who survived being aborted. Dear God transform our hearts to be more like yours. Amen
I post about abortion quite a bit and people really say some amazing things about it but it always come back to selfishness. And looking at even my own children, i can definitely see us going here in a few years. I talk to young people i know, neices and nephews, etc. Kids love to play adults. however, not many of them have an idea of how hard it is. 50 years from now I do not see it getting better. I see kids wanting to have kids…they want what they want. After a few days, hours, they are not so enchanted with their choice. not such an unrealistic scene, unfortunately. I agree with one of the other posters…we need to turn our eyes to the lord, or we are sunk…
Very powerful message. If there were a part II, it would include those of us who have passed our productive years.
Something like,
“Dear Children, by now you are aware of the sad need and responsibility your father and I had to take upon ourselves in ending your grandmother’s suffering. She’d been very depressed since your grandfather passed in April and more than once asked aloud how she could go on without him after 50 years of marriage.
The nursing home bills were growing monthly with no end in sight and she would have had to come live with us soon. While we all loved her, it would have placed a terrible strain on us both financially and emotionally.
We were with her as her doctor released the drip into her veins. It was painless and quick as she drifted off into the hereafter. I’m certain your grandfather was waiting with open arms.
The cremation saved us additional money and your having to make a special trip out to see us. This decision was much less difficult than the one that involved your youngest brother but that decision made all of our lives easier. Keep both of them in your thoughts.
Love,
Mom”
You are 100% right! I thought, how true when I read your letter. It’s an “inconvenience” now for grandparents or parents to live with their grown children! And it is expensive to maintain care in a nursing home. I sure hope that the present administration isn’t elected again, because all this will come true. People are selfish now, and it seems that “the fittest should survive” is getting to be the mantra of society.
To portray an equivalent to abortion it would be more realistic to show significant others around the mother (and/or father) pressuring them to eliminate the child. After all if the killing is legal, there are “legitimate medical” centers that exist, and it is the “norm” then the mother is pressured into 1 “choice”. It’s not only that the child is looked on as an inconvenience but it is also the very real pressure from social circles to eliminate the byproduct of reproduction. There is real ignorance (especially among the under 25 age group) that a woman is carrying a “fetus” not a child up until at least 3 months.
Better that you should just appreciate the scenario for what it is and not what you think would have been more realistic.
You’re right that women get pressured to have abortions by boyfriends, relatives, etc., but not all women do. Which is why this particular scenario is hardly unrealistic.
What a horrible scenario, and yet we are headed in that direction. But the elderly will be eliminated first; those Social Security checks and Medicare are costing the government way too much money. In fact, if my memory were better I could name probably 15 elderly people who have been put to death with morphine overdoses over the past 20 years,one this past July. The night before he “died” our pastor was with him, joking, and our friend was talking about what he was going to do once he got out of the hospital. That night the drip was started and within 18 hours he was gone! This coming election will is a fight between life and death. We must pray and fast for LIFE to win.
That’s right, this is the only way to overcome cultural blindness. Present cases which are patently equivalent on a moral level, but still manage to horrify. Nice work.
This is what some people do to their family pets now, so how can this scenario be that far off? There are already philosophy professors teaching at universities in this country who advocate this very thing.
Come, Lord Jesus!
We can never equal the life of a human being to that of an animal. The Bible teach us that human beings are superior to every other creature in every regard. And after our Lord Jesus have died for us in the cross we can become Children of God. Not even the angels can say that about themselves. The thought that we can give animals the same dignity and treatment as human beings stems out of the pagan current of the New Age. And now we have societies like Japan, where they spend thousands of dollars in fashions, gourmet food, toys, etc. for their pets, while their neighbor might be starving. They do this because it is a lot easier to care for a pet than it is to raise a child, so that is what couples are doing. Same in Europe, where they are contracepting themselves out of existence, some countries have had negative birth rates for decades. We kill animals for human consumption and we eat a variety of plants and vegetables, but it is always morally wrong to kill a human being (wether in the womb or not) for whatever reason.
There actually is a difference, subjectively if not objectively. It has to do with the degree of self-deception that is necessary to deny the humanity of the person being murdered. Speaking as a man — I expect it may be very different with women! — it is easier to IMAGINE that a child that I have not seen or spoken with is not *really* human. It is of course wrong, but I wouldn’t have to work very hard to insulate myself from the reality of what abortion does. It’s the same as when politicians talk about “casualties” but don’t want the graphic footage of dead or dismembered bodies, or who talk about “collateral damage” without having to meet the families of dead civilians; it’s easy to kill people when they’re just numbers on paper. For that matter, Himmler found that murdering large numbers of Jewish men, women, and children was really hard on the psyches of the Einsatzgruppen. Both the systematic dehumanization of Jews and the method of gassing them were designed to make it less of a psychological burden.
Will we really be that hardened in 10 years? Probably not, for the most part, but of course people killing family members goes back to Cain and Abel.
I’ve been trying to convince myself that this could never, ever happen. But then, I used to believe the same thing about abortion; that it could never, ever become legal in this country.
This scenario is already happening to disabled children. Here in Canada, Robert Latimer murdered his little 12 yr old daughter (gassed her in his truck) who had cerebral palsy several years ago. Diabolical. He went to jail and now I believe he has day parole. The media still continuously makes him a hero, ya know, he helped his kid overcome her “sufferings”. In court, the extended family were shocked and said that Tracey was a dear little girl. And if the family felt burdened with her, why didn’t did they ask one of them to take her???
Patrick,
Your perspicacity in sharing this is spot-on, as usual. May God bless you, Nancy, and the gang.
Kelly S.
Thanks, Kelly. Great to hear from you.
Given the contraceptive mentality of Western Christians, there is a real possibility that this scenario will be forestalled ONLY by our takeover by Muslims—who do NOT approve of birth control or abortion! We have made a terrible bed for ourselves.
While they do not currently practice the wholesale abortion that we do, muslims are by no means opposed to contraception. Witness Iran, they are contracepting themselves out of existance. And it makes their global ambitions even more dangerous because now they have limited time. Demographics are now driving history.
Who says this cannot or won’t happen if things don’t change in this country.
I remember when I first found out what abortion was and what really happened to babies.. I never thought something like that would happen to a human being.
But, much to my horror, it did happen and is still for the past 39 years; and will keep on happening until we turn our eyes to God and not on ourselves.
Pray, Pray, Pray. This next election is so very crucial to our country and our human beings.
I am almost 65 years old and have been teaching a high school Confirmation class in my Church for some years. The urge to pass along our beautiful Catholic Faith burns like a fire within me. I am so grateful to the Holy Spirit for the gift of the true Faith and the gift to teach it. I frequently mention that our God is a God of Life and all that this fact entails, to my students. In addition, I carry my past students, the students I have now, and the ones I will be given in the future in my heart praying for them everyday. God willing these students will carry the message of the beauty of the Gift of Life into the future.
There IS a difference between this situation and abortion. Timmy gets to go without pain.
Wow, lucky Timmy!
I seriously contest that (unless you are being sarcastic). The letter mentions that poor Timmy heard the talk between them and his little eyes welled with tears. It might have been without physical pain (though that would be debatable) but certainly not without inmense emotional pain.
Rage.
No doubt about it, our children’s generation is one of martyrs. God have mercy.
I heard this on Open Line today. I’m seven months pregnant with my sixth baby. I sat on the bed and just bawled. My five already-born children came running like the wind to see what was wrong with Mom.
And sure, there are days when they can drive me absolutely crazy. But….
God help us.
The slippery slope is real. Lord, have mercy.
It’s worse than that. It’s not a slippery slope. It is a well-planned route intentionally followed toward a specific goal. We need to get off this road before we get to the destination.
Speaking as the child of a loving single mother who placed me in the arms of the perfect adoptive family, instead of the blood-covered hands of an abortion provider, please, respect LIFE. Without your life, your life is meaningless. Let others have the chance to live, learn, and love!
APPALLING!!!! yet just fifty years ago, Americans were every bit as appalled at the thought that abortion could become legal and accepted medical procedure
God Help US
The only difference here I see is she can see the child and they are killing him in a “painless” way. Other than that it is still murder however you slice it. Abortion = murder ….
I could almost imagine someone who would seriously consider this if given the ability to do so, the “choice” if you will. I pray for an end to abortion and may such a gruesome future never come.
Wow!
But, it really isn’t that far off from what it really could be, especially given the trajectory that our society is on.
I fear for us, and pray that God may change some minds!