Why is it that in the part of the world I was born, in a German farm community, where most ladies were married at age 20, many even younger like our mother, she was 17 when she married and had my brother only a year or so after and had 7 children, with mothers even giving birth to at times more then ten. Yet, I do not remember a mother dying in labor ever, and just about all gave birth at home with the aid mostly by a so called midwife, with very little training at all. It is a fact of life that the older a woman is and tarting a family it gets very difficult even to get pregnant. I just saw recently posted where the Hospitall prideed itself to have helped women to get pregnant and than more and more C sections. Question and not that I support teen unmarried ladies to get pregnant and have a child, nevertheless the question: Has any ever had a difficult life threating birthing? Besides as so much is said about women with osteoporosis nowadays, there was no such in our community!

I would like to see Kay Warren use her influence to persuade Americans to embrace a value system that those living in Third World countries have and that we do not: an appreciation of Life so deep and profound that a mother would never accept or condone or even consider the snuffing out of her preborn baby. Do any countries in Africa practice infanticide the way we do? I've been to one of the poorest countries in Africa and seen the deep love and affection even the poorest mother has for her babies. I'm sure that the thought of killing one her babies while it is still in her womb is totally unfathomable to her. Oh that we Americans could learn that one lesson. Regarding Kay's guilt. I try to tell guilt-ridden Westerners, especially Americans, to lay down their guilt and pick up gratitude. Gratitude does not preclude charity but guilt just ministers condemnation and depression.

Kay is feeling guilty that her grandchild is living when many around the world would not have lived. That's okay, a waste of emotion, and wrong, but it's just her. When she uses her name and influence to try and make the rest of us feel her guilt, she's spreading that wrong unfairly. Our advantages are a result of our culture. As a group, we work hard, we value health care, (maybe too much) among other things. I was a missionary to Belize, Central America for a couple years. That was enough to see how much lack of concern exists in other cultures, enough lack of concern to doom their own children, families and themselves. Don't put their cultural failings on me, Kay. We can and should help as we can and feel called to. We can't change their culture to value what we do.

Kay is feeling guilty for living and having a living grandchild when many someones in many other countries are not, living, I mean. Neither the Grandma or the baby. So she liberally shares her guilt and tells us we share in it. Wrong, that's wrong, Kay. We have advantages because our culture values (maybe overly so) health care and is willing to work for it among other things. As a former YWAM

A great story drew me into the article: how could I resist? And the conclusion is well written. My only suggestion is that the "application" of the sermon is not the right one. There is no possibility that everyone in the world can have the same standard of health care as American enjoy, and we can only feel floating guilt that others don't have the same "essentials". How about a less guilt-motivated and more love-motivated appeal to get involved in medical missions, political reform, or to give more generously to groups that do provide medical care? I've been a missionary since 1972, and I still don't know quite how we can change the situation worldwide. But we need to think through the steps the reader can and should take. Still, it was a touching piece which raised awareness for some. Keep up the articles, Kay. You are doing the Church in America a service.