I wanted to share an e-mail I wrote to a friend. He was telling me how his mother almost aborted him (he's a convert to the Faith) when she was pregnant with him. I'm sharing my response to him, so that you can tell your family and friends about this ridiculous test. I can't imagine how many lives are taken due to what's called the "ATP test" (ATP stands for: adenosine triphosphate). The state of California makes it mandatory for healthcare providers to administer this, but the family must opt out if they don't want it. Any amount of research will show how many times this test can be faulty. When my wife was pregnant, we were away from the Church, but I thank God I'd been instilled with an understanding of the worth of human life. Here's my story: (excerpted from an e-mail response to my friend)
..Your story is actually strikingly similar to when our firstborn, Aurora, was concieved. We did this test that the state 'requires' (you can opt out if you like): adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test when Nikki was about 3 months pregnant.
This young nurse came back with our results and said, "your ATP count was 13; thats really high." An older nurse was walking by and and the young nurse asked her, in front of Nikki and I, "Whats the highest score you've seen on a ATP test?"
"Seven or eight."
My heart sunk. The doctor came in a few minutes later asking if we wanted to keep "it". We both (deo gratias my wife has some innate virtues) said "no", we were going to keep our baby. The doctor told us that she would almost surely have an open spine, or open abdomen, possibly a missing brain or organs, etc. We said we would still keep our baby. I prayed to St. Anne, the mother of our Blessed Mother, and told her I would offer her my child, and all my future children; I was recently devoted to St. Anne since I was working for the City of Santa Ana at their FD.
Month after month, each time we went for our ultrasound, our child was there, complete. Aurora was eventually born, and did have what's called hemangioma's (on her eye- I think you remember them) (temporary birth marks that have almost completely gone away) and her kidney's were 'fused'- both of her kidneys are on the same side; the only thing she is prone to is more frequent UTI's, according to the doctors, but she's yet to get one. She's a normal, happy, ultra-intelligent (and I'm not saying it since she's our daughter) girl. I'm teaching her to love Christ and our Blessed Mother. And of course St. Anne.
Interesting note on St. Anne- my twin girls were born on July 26th, almost 2 years after. July 26th- the Feast of St. Anne.
Richard