Right Decision..??

I was eagerly waiting for Sameer to come today. He was going to collect my pregnancy reports on his way back home from office. I was hoping everything turns out to be fine. It had been 6 years and finally I had conceived. My parents, my in laws – every member of our family was keen and was taking care of me day in and day out.

Finally after a long wait, Sameer arrived. He came near me, held my hand and said “Seema, the reports are here.” I did not say a word, I was waiting for him to give me a nice hug and tell me everything was normal but on the contrary when he held my hand, I knew there was something wrong. I kept looking at him with questions in my eyes. He continued, “The doctor says, the reports are not normal, the baby could be abnormal – either handicap or mentally challenged as his body parts are not showing the correct form of growth.”

I was numb. What should I say? How should I react to this?

I wanted this baby, I wanted to be a mother, I wanted my own family but nothing was falling into place. I just held Sameer and closed my eyes. There was complete silence; we did not talk at all.

The next day, Sameer stayed home with me. He asked me, what I was thinking.

With tears in my eyes, I told him, I did not want to kill my baby. Sameer knew what I was going through because he felt the same. He wanted the baby as much as I did.

We visited the doctor, the same day. She was a practical woman. So many years in the same field had made her that way. She was direct and blunt. “Mrs Kapoor, if you give birth to this child, you will have to give your life to it. According to the reports, the child growth is not normal and there is no cure to this. We have tried everything but to no avail. We have also taken multiple opinions on this case but the suggestion from all experienced doctors is, you should go for an abortion.

“Dr, I am ready to take care of my child for life”, I said with confidence.

“Of course you do, but what about the child, how is it going to cope with the world and what will happen, when you are not around. The child would be abnormal and the abnormality could be to any extent. It is your decision at the end. Unfortunately, you don’t have much time to decide as abortion at a later stage could be a danger to your life too.”

Sameer and I returned home. A decision was to be taken and it had to be taken fast. We had to be strong and not emotional. I wanted to live. I didn’t want to delay this decision. Either I stay positive, give birth to my baby or just kill it now.

Sameer wanted me to decide. He explained all the pros and cons of both the sides. He said he would support me for anything I decide.

I decided to hold on to my baby. I wanted to give birth to my baby.

18 years later:

The baby is in her teens now. She is smart, fit and intelligent. The medical science was proved to be wrong in this case; Sameer and Seema were extremely lucky.

But not everyone is as lucky as them.

It is a debatable issue. Seema took an emotional decision but that decision could have affected a lot of people in a wrong way including the baby. But she was strong headed and extremely positive. Life and Luck was in her favor.

But would luck favor everyone? Is it right to risk someone else’s life? The answer is yet to be found.

P.S.: This is a true story. The same incident as Seema’s in this story occurred in our lives when my mom was pregnant with my little sister. I thank my mom for taking that decision as our home would have been lifeless without my younger sister. But at the same time I can’t imagine what would have been the case if the medical reports were proved to be true 18 years ago.