Sometimes a hopeful new mother will have a problem early in pregnancy. If the fetus implants in the fallopian tube, rather than the uterus, it is referred to as an ectopic or tubal pregnancy. The fetus continues to grow and develop in this wrong space. An ectopic pregnancy is always fatal for the fetus, tragically. The mother’s life is also in grave danger. In earlier times, with limited knowledge and medical care, the deaths would be labeled “God’s will.”

If we accept that God’s will must prevail (resulting in deaths), one could justify doing nothing as far as pre- and post-natal care. Why worry about a woman’s nutrition when she is pregnant? Why worry about feeding, clothing and nurturing a child after birth? Just let God’s will take precedence in all these things. Let us ignore the bereft father who has lost his wife and baby. Never mind the older children who no longer have a mother. It is God’s will.

God did not give us wings, but he gave us the intelligence and ability to create airplanes. Similarly, God gave us the intelligence and ability to gain medical knowledge, to intervene in medical emergencies and save lives. Perhaps that is also God’s will.

TERRY McCLURE

Astoria