July 25, 2020 (Saturday)
Today is the 42nd birthday of an British lady who was the first human being born by using in vitro fertilization, a process whereby an egg is removed from a woman’s ovaries, placed in a petri dish and fertilized. After 3 to 5 days it is placed inside the mother’s womb, where pregnancy proceeds in the same manner as all other natural births. The lady’s parents had tried unsuccessfully to give birth, and this process made them parents in an unusual way. The baby that was born was their very own child in every possible way.
That birth on July 25, 1978 in England was the first of millions of IVF births that have since taken place. Except for the circumstances of conception, the life of this lady has been normal, as has the life of her sister, conceived in the same manner four years later. The birth of this lady, who is now married and mother of two sons, made headlines all over the world, because it was the first successful conception of a baby outside the body.
While that birth was miraculous, is not every birth–any birth also a miracle? I remember having that very thought as I held my firstborn in my arms. “This is a miracle,” was the one thought that kept racing through my mind.
Wanda and I had that experience five times. Each time the new life
that entered the world became a part of our family. Where did the
baby come from? From God, of course. But, beyond that very real
answer, we have to say, “It came from us, the parents.” We watched, in awe, the process of growth, as each of our five babies became a child, a teenager, a young adult, an adult, then a parent, and at least one time so far, a grandparent. Is that not a miraculous process?
Life! How very precious!
GOD’S GIFT: A NEW LIFE
__________________________
A New Born Child
Armand Amar
2014
Just as two breaths become one breath
As two whispers become a cry
Miracle before us lies
The glory of a new-born child
These half-closed eyes already see
Looking without looking within
A testament of truth before, before our eyes
The glory of a new-born child
This place, where life’s long path begins
If they be princes, queens, or kings
Laid helpless here at mother’s side
The glory of a new-born child
__________________________
This song is from a movie, “First Cry (2014),” the story of a remarkable hospital in the mining township of Dalli-Rajhara Chattisgarh known as Shahid (Martyrs) Hospital. The hospital was paid for and built by the voluntary labour of daily-wage contract miners and successfully provides modern health care to workers, tribal descendants and the poor. The Film reveals the history of its making, key turning points of the hospital and the experiences of the doctors and worker-paramedics who manage this oasis of hope.
You may see the documentary movie here (57 minutes long):
I saw the movie, but listened in vain for the song. I suppose it did not make the cut for that particular version of the film. It is an amazing story of what people can do in spite of difficulty and adversity.