“The Value of a Single Human Life”
“He Will Succeed in Life”
Emmett Gordon, grade 9
Washington County
My mother had a child with Asperger’s Syndrome.
The year was 2011, the date was February 2nd. After walking through the frigid, stormy, February air to get to the hospital, and after being in labor for 6 hours, it was done. Her first child had been born.
The newborn baby would not look into her eyes.
This was a just a taste of the suffering and humiliation that was to come. He would not socialize, could not socialize, and could not interact with other kids. In any group setting, he would refuse to cooperate, but not like a belligerent child, but because he didn’t know what he was supposed to do, in spite of the constant reminders from his mother and his teachers. Every day, every time he would interact with people, he would not participate, and every day, she would have at least one mother come to her and say “So, we need to have a talk about your child…”
What the person would say was always the same. ‘Your child won’t cooperate, your child won’t socialize, he won’t do this, he won’t do that, he won’t do the other thing…” and she knew not her mistake. All she did was have a child. She was not looking to be constantly punished for her decision. A child was supposed to be a good thing.
But there were things he could do. He knew all the states, all the shapes of the states, all the flags from the states, all the flags from the countries, and could draw them on command. He would spend hours drawing these flags, obsessively, day after day, week after week. He wasn’t a very good artist, but he could memorize.
Now that child is 14 years old and about to finish authoring an essay on the value of a human life. He is years ahead in academics. He competes in math tournaments. He has a good circle of friends who he plays Dungeons & Dragons with, and can behave (somewhat) normally. He can even perform on stage and can play almost any song on piano after hearing it.
To all mothers making the critical choice between life and death for their unborn child, I beg of you, choose life. The road may be hard, but my mother is a witness that it can be done, no matter the odds. She was shunned by parent after parent, until the child finally showed what the mother knew all along: He will be okay. He will succeed in life.
My mother knew that I would learn who I was, my strengths, and my weaknesses. And to this day, I am grateful for her loving support.
