NO. 916 THE DEATH OF DANIEL!

No. 916

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE DEATH OF DANIEL!

Here is a true statement that I would like to invite you to ponder with me for a little while today. All the people who believe in abortion have already been born. The subject or issue of abortion is one of the most emotionally charged in the history of our nation. It still rages today but there may be a better way, and while you may already know what it is, I will confirm it before I am done.
If you read my column on a regular basis you know that many of the topics or ideas that I share each week come from my readers. This truly confirms my own belief that I don’t claim to have all the answers. I am more concerned with speaking the truth, and as an enlightened person I have to believe you feel the same way.
Some time back I got a letter from one of my South Mississippi readers, not sure of the gender, but the name given was E. Martin from Silver Creek, Miss. I would like to share this letter, as it is very sobering and should give any loving, thoughtful and caring person something really worthwhile to think about.
It begins, “It’s January 22nd of 2013 and I have just returned from Daniel Pavon’s funeral at the state capital in Jackson, Miss. His funeral took place at 11 a.m. and ended around 1 p.m. There were maybe 75 to 100 people who attended, even though there were many more who were asked to come.
“There was a lot of media there but very little coverage on the evening news. Daniel was a fine person from all accounts, and to my knowledge had never harmed or bothered anyone. His death was a tragedy and was seriously mourned by those who attended the funeral. There were impressive speakers who took part in his funeral and it was odd they were from different denominations. They each spoke highly of him. I have never attended a funeral of anyone that I had no close personal relationship with that troubled me like this event. I think one thing that troubled me so is that there were no family members present.
“That alone created a sad, lonely and heart-breaking atmosphere. He was, I’m certain, an outcast of his own family but all those who attended cherished him. You couldn’t help loving him when you saw him lying in the casket, and I think I saw the same in every face that looked on him. I guess the strangest thing of all about the funeral was that Daniel spoke. He spoke very loud in a pleading, desperate kind of way, pleading for you and me to do all in our power to bring an end to abortion in America. I have never heard it spoken so loud and have never been gutted to the core like that by any other speech I have ever heard.
“Daniel was 15 weeks old when his life was taken from him. His little body was black from bruising by his mother’s abdomen that was created to support and protect him. It was her induced contractions that suffocated and bruised his tiny body to the point of death. I learned that he was named by one of the ministers that took part in his funeral and that the meaning of Daniel is ‘God is My Judge’. A priest who took part in the eulogy gave his last name. I can’t get Daniel off my mind and am wondering what he would have become if he had been allowed to live.”
There is more but you certainly have the gist of what this letter is all about. In the beginning, I mentioned there is a better way. In our nation we have to remove the stigma against a girl or woman who has an unintended pregnancy and carries the baby to full term and gives him or her up for adoption. There are literally thousands of couples in America who wish to adopt a child and would give the child a loving home. What a bright hope and promise for the future.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)