At least two American women aborted after Zika virus infections

As soon as the Zika virus hit the news, abortion advocates rushed in to exploit the crisis. They targeted pro-life countries in Latin America, using the virus to push for more abortions. The virus causes only mild symptoms in most people, but in pregnant women, it might cause birth defects. It’s believed to cause microcephaly in preborn babies whose mothers have the virus, thus the “need” for abortion. Now, at least nine pregnant women in the United States have been confirmed to have the Zika virus, and according to the CDC, two of those women have had abortions.

The Washington Post reports:

At least two pregnant women in the United States infected with the Zika virus have chosen to have abortions in recent months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday, while two others have suffered miscarriages. One woman gave birth to a infant with serious birth defects, while two others delivered healthy infants. Two are still pregnant.

The varied outcomes of nine pregnant U.S. women the agency has identified with Zika, as well as the hundreds of U.S. women that have sought out tests for the virus, underscore the angst and uncertainty that the diseases is causing as it spreads through much of the Americas, particularly when it comes to worries over severe birth defects associated with illness.

One of the women who had an abortion was in her 30s and had contracted the virus during her first trimester while traveling to a Zika-affected area, the agency said. When she was 20 weeks pregnant, she learned from an ultrasound that her fetus was suffering from severe brain abnormalities. Doctors also tested her amniotic fluid and found the presence of Zika virus. “After discussion with her health-care providers, the patient elected to terminate her pregnancy,” the CDC wrote in a case study released Friday. Officials did not offer details surrounding the second abortion, other than to say it involved another woman who had become infected with Zika during the first trimester of her pregnancy.

It’s exceedingly tragic that this is the result. It is no doubt difficult to learn that you’re carrying a child that has a birth defect, especially a severe one. But that doesn’t mean that the baby does not deserve a chance to live.

Microcephaly is not a death sentence. It does not equal a life of pain and horror. To the contrary, one mom of two girls with microcephaly says that they all love their life. Brazilian journalist Ana Carolina Caceres was born with microcephaly, and her story was featured on Live Action News earlier this month. Caceres spoke openly about how distasteful and offensive she found the push for abortion in the face of Zika, saying that it’s merely a short-sighted way of tackling the problem. It’s also a symptom of how we view people with disabilities. People will openly speak about how abortion is acceptable if a baby is diagnosed prenatally with a disability, about how their lives aren’t worth living.

Of course, the reality is that every life has value and worth and dignity. The only question is, how do we make more people realize that?