Every Life is Compatible with Love

Today, March 18^th, is known to many as Trisomy 18 Day. Trisomy 18 is a genetic anomaly in which three copies of the 18^th chromosome are present, instead of the typical two. Nearly five years ago, I received a prenatal diagnosis that my firstborn daughter had this extremely rare chromosomal abnormality. Immediately, I was told a termination was the best for both myself, and my daughter. In fact, as my maternal fetal doctor relayed the genetic findings to me over the phone, he shared in the same breath that he discussed these results first with my OB, who informed him my termination was scheduled.

Doctors labeled Evelyn incompatible with life, yet the very fact that she was living and moving inside of me gave signs to one thing: life. Children with Trisomy 18 who are denied medical interventions, or who are not offered any at birth generally have a 90% fatality rate. When Evelyn was born on October 18, 2016, I was told she had less than a 10% chance to survive to her first birthday.

However, Evelyn did survive. And not only did she survive, she thrived. Over the years, Evelyn became a big sister, twice! Advocating for Evelyn while she was growing and thriving was easy for me to do. “Look! My child who you labeled incompatible with life is alive! She’s growing! And thriving!” Of course life was the answer then when a beautiful life was in front of me. However, little did I know, we were getting closer and closer to March 20, 2020.

Almost a year ago, our Evelyn Grace took her last breath on this side of heaven, and in an instant she closed her eyes on earth and opened them up in eternity. Evelyn fought courageously for 3 ½ years of life until Jesus called her to her eternal home. The agony and pain following has been something I would not wish on anyone. In the days following, I was asked if fighting for Evelyn, and choosing life was worth it. Was choosing life for Evelyn worth the excruciating pain I am currently enduring? Would it have been easier to say goodbye during my pregnancy?

The truth that I hold on to is that every single one of us is given a “life-limiting” diagnosis, it’s called humanity. None of us know the exact number of days we have here on earth, and no one is promised tomorrow. From the moment Evelyn was conceived and placed in my womb, life was taking place. This gift was one for me to steward, not one to dictate or control. I take comfort that God tells us he formed our bodies and saw every single day of our life that was to pass before a single came to be. Life is a gift, it is sacred, and something that only the author of life controls. I knew that on my best day caring for Evelyn, or my worst day, I could never add or subtract a day to her life, we don’t hold that power, only our Creator does.

Fighting for life is always worth it. A shortened life does not equivalate to a lesser life. In fact, it is often those who are taken “too soon” that leave the greatest impact on others. From the moment I carried Evelyn safely inside my womb, she was my gift of grace. I knew Evelyn was a gift I wouldn’t be able to keep forever, and a gift I had to hold with open hands. Advocating for Evelyn and sharing the sanctity of life with the hundreds of medical professionals and many Children’s Hospitals has been an honor. I have seen hearts changed and softened to the gift of life through, my beautifully broken daughter.

The only tragedy to this story would be to have never met Evelyn at all. Every single one of us will die one day, we cannot escape the humanity of our bodies. Evelyn’s life continues to teach me the beauty in life and that every life, no matter the length, is worth celebrating. I know my Evelyn is now more alive than ever before, in a body of perfect strength and righteousness. This is only the beginning of all of our stories, and one day we will be reunited again, for eternity. Over and over, I will always choose life.

Hannah Sudlow is a wife and mom to her three children, Evelyn, Esme, and Harrison. Hannah is also the Founder and Executive Director of Evelyn’s Treehouse. Evelyn’s Treehouse is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that exists to come alongside to equip, educate, and encourage families who have received a medically complex, life-threatening medical diagnosis. Hannah carries on Evelyn’s legacy of LIFE through Evelyn’s Treehouse to educate hospitals, families, and surrounding communities on how to best support families facing a life-threatening diagnosis for their child. Hannah also serves on the Parent Advisory Council at Evelyn’s former Children’s Hospital, and second home.

As I sat in front of my patient in the exam room, I could see the relief on her face as we discussed the plan to try and save her unborn son.

Days earlier, like so many other women, she found herself in what seemed like an impossible situation. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy while still trying to finish school, this young woman walked into an abortion clinic and did something she never thought she’d do – she took the first pill of a medication abortion. My patient told me that the second she walked out of the clinic, she knew she’d made the wrong decision.

Desperate to know whether there was anything she could do to reverse what she’d started (despite having been told at the abortion clinic there wasn’t), she went home and Googled “Can I reverse my abortion?” She stumbled upon the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which then connected her to me. After speaking with her on the phone, we started the process the same day, and we were able to save my young patient’s son.

I will never forget the smile on her face the day she delivered her son – full term and healthy. This was only possible because of the life-saving treatment she received as part of the abortion pill reversal protocol.

Far from being experimental, the medication used to counteract the effects of mifepristone (the drug used to cause an abortion up to 10 weeks) is one that has been safely used during pregnancy for decades by both general OB/GYNs and infertility specialists. The largest case series to date of this treatment, which included more than 700 women, shows that it works.

Using the abortion pill reversal protocol, 68% of women will be able to have successful ongoing pregnancies (compared to 23% if they do nothing). This translates to a significant number of children saved. In fact, there are more than 2,000 children alive, including my patient’s son, because of this treatment.

Abortion pill reversal therapy is, in fact, safe. Out of the women who have been treated using the official protocol, there is no increased risk of side effects or birth defects. Opponents often cite a study by Mitchell Creinin claiming to show an increased risk of hemorrhage in patients undergoing treatment.

A closer look at the actual data, however, tells a much different story.

Women not receiving progesterone suffered a much higher rate of hemorrhage (40%) than women who received progesterone (20%).

Additionally, women not receiving progesterone required emergency surgery to treat their hemorrhage, with one patient even needing a blood transfusion.

Not only did this study show that giving progesterone not increase the risk of adverse effects, it also showed that it works to save babies – 80% of the women who received progesterone had viable pregnancies at their follow-up appointments.

Women deserve to be able make informed decisions with access to all necessary information. Indiana’s House Bill 1577 would not force women to undergo this therapy; it merely ensures women know all of their options, especially if they change their minds – like my patient did.

I am thankful my patient had the ability to do a Google search to connect with me and that we were able to save her son’s life through the abortion pill reversal protocol. And I know my patient is thankful she is able to cuddle her precious son every day.

Every woman deserves to know that the abortion pill reversal protocol is an option, and we will continue to speak up for these women and their rights.

Dr. Christina Francis is the chair of the board of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). Dr. Francis is a board-certified OBGYN who currently works in Fort Wayne, Indiana. You can learn more about her and AAPLOG’s work at aaplog.org.

Every January, the streets of Washington DC are filled with tens of thousands of pro-life Americans, gathered together for the annual March for Life. Despite the claims of the mainstream media, the vast majority of these passionate pro-lifers are high school and college students who travel hundreds of miles to speak out for the unborn and call for an end to abortion. One of these voices belongs to Angelica Park, a college freshman who is giving a voice to the voiceless in more ways than one.

Angelica has always had a heart for service, especially for children and babies. While in high school, she began the Happily Ever After Foundation, a non-profit which raised over $45,000 for pediatric oncology patients and research. She would also visit the children in the pediatric cancer unit, bringing them special presents and blankets. During her sophomore year, she competed in and won Miss San Antonio’s Outstanding Teen 2018, with the hope to use the scholarship towards her college studies. Now a freshman at Baylor University, Angelica is studying Biology and Pre-Med with the hope to continue aiding children through a career in pediatric oncology.

During her time in high school, Angelica also became outspoken about the rights of the unborn. She had always grounded her pro-life beliefs in her Catholic faith, recognizing each and every person is made in the image of God. But her passion for science and medicine helped strengthen her convictions and made her “unapologetically pro-life.” In biology class, she studied the development of human life within the womb. From zygote to embryo to fetus to newborn, Angelica was fascinated by the complex process of human development. To her the facts were very clear – life begins at the moment of fertilization. With this knowledge in hand, she knew she had to speak out against the injustice of abortion. She now says, “being a pro-life activist and spreading the truth about abortion and making my generation the most pro-life generation is one of my top priorities.”

In 2020, Angelica brought her pro-life convictions to the national stage as she performed the National Anthem at the March for Life preceding President Donald Trump’s address. The previous day, Angelica also spoke directly to her peers at the March for Life Youth Rally alongside Charlotte Pence Bond and Abby Johnson. She encouraged the room full of teens to have courage in their pro-life convictions even against peer pressure or backlash. Angelica spoke from a place of compassion, having experienced excessive backlash for her own pro-life beliefs in high school. But this experience helped her to empathize with the mothers facing the fears of an unexpected or difficult pregnancy and the pressures of abortion. Through her pro-life work, she desires to bring courage to these mothers and to the pro-life generation.

When fear is the only thing separating you from making the right decision, it is time to act. We cannot let fear stop us. Fear is fed by our insecurities, and knowing we are made worthy through Christ should rule out all fear. I promise it’s more terrifying hiding out in the dark than it is to run towards the light. Speak out. Children’s lives and women’s broken hearts are counting on it.

She calls on the pro-life generation to “let love be the root cause for your passion,” and remember that, “we are pro-life because we love humanity above all else.”

Angelica joined the March for Life again in 2021, performing her original lullaby ‘Listen Can You Hear Them’ during the Virtual Rose Dinner Gala. She wrote the song with her mom in honor of the 62 million lives lost to abortion in the United States. The song is a reminder of the smilies, laughter, and joy that we will never know.

You can follow Angelica’s pro-life efforts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @angelicapark421. She will be announcing the release of her song ‘Listen, Can You Hear Them’ when it becomes available on all streaming platforms in April 2021.

To book Angelica to speak or sing at one of your pro-life events, visit www.catholicspeakers.com/profiles/angelica-park

In the next few days, Congress will vote on several important nominations and bills that will lay the foundation for abortion-related legislation across the board.

Cabinet Nominations 

President Biden’s cabinet member nominees are awaiting confirmation votes by the Senate scheduled for the coming weeks. Right now, a few very problematic nominees are awaiting confirmation, including Neera Tanden for Director of Office of Management and Budget, Xavier Becerra for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Rachel Levine for U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health.

All of these positions will be directly managing laws and policies related to abortion, conscience rights, and healthcare mandates. Unfortunately, all three of these nominees are abortion-extremists who have proven through votes, actions and words that they will aggressively attack, undo and/or undermine policies that protects the most vulnerable, the unborn.

For more information on these nominees and others, visit our March for Life Action website here.

The Equality Act 

H.R. 5, otherwise known as the Equality Act, is one of the upcoming pieces of legislation that will set the tone for the Biden Administration’s abortion extremism if passed. Hidden behind a clever misnomer are policy changes that would require employers to provide abortion coverage in their healthcare packages, override conscience-rights protections for religious institutions, and consequently undo many pro-life protections currently written into law.

In this article from the Charlotte Lozier Institute which gives a deeper look at what the Equality Act means for the pro-life movement, Richard Doerflinger, M.A., summarizes the bill as such:

The “abortion as health care” campaign advanced by the Equality Act effectively defines the unborn child out of existence. It treats the child as merely a “physical condition” of the mother that health professionals are called on to address through corrective treatment. In a sense the Act also defines Americans who object to such taking of innocent human life out of existence as well, treating them as bigots who must be forced to comply with anti-discrimination policies accepted by all fair-minded citizens. The Act does not promote equality, as it further demeans vulnerable human beings who already have few rights — and denies the right of pro-life Americans, who make up about half the U.S. population, to live by their fundamental convictions. In no way should its enactment be the goal of a “presidency for all Americans.” 

To find out how you can take action against this bill and others, join March for Life president, Jeanne Mancini, tomorrow for a special #EqualityActExposed Rally with Family Policy Alliance, where she will be speaking about the anti-life aspects of this bill.

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