A Mother With Cancer Lays Down Her Life for Her Unborn Child

What mother can’t understand the fierce desire to protect her child? If anyone even looks at my kids wrong, I’m ready to protect them with my life.

Moms understand the ferocity that comes out of nowhere. It doesn’t matter if your child is two years old or thirty-two. But the story of Stacie Crimm’s selfless determination to protect the life of her unborn baby girl goes far beyond the average mom’s commitment.

At 41, Stacie Crimm was shocked beyond belief to learn she was expecting her first child. This was probably the biggest surprise blessing of her life, especially since doctors had previously said she would never be able to conceive.

Unfortunately, just a few months later, she was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, and Stacie was presented with the most difficult dilemma a mother can face: She could either undergo chemotherapy to save her own life or she could forgo the treatment to save the life of her baby. Needless to say, this was an extremely painful decision no mother ever wants to make.

Of course, like any mother, Stacie’s intimate bond with her child was more important than life itself, literally. Stacie made the decision to spare the life of her child and, tragically, died on September 11 of this year. Thankfully, she did live long enough to hold her tiny baby girl, Dottie Mae, in her arms. This mother truly exemplified the courage of womanhood by offering the ultimate sacrifice for her child.

But awe-inspiring stories like Stacie’s are conveniently ignored by our national leaders who stand against pro-life legislation.

In fact, last week when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protect Life Act (H.R. 358), Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) stated, “Just as the courts ruled unconstitutional and upheld the provision of the Texas law that required a doctor to talk first to a woman seeking an abortion and to allow or force them both to listen, uh, to sounds that, uh, might discourage this needed action, this is going to be held unconstitutional.”

I am so thankful that ultrasound technology allows moms to hear the “sound” or heartbeat of their child. This has saved countless lives. In fact LifeNews.com reports that ultrasound legislation, to which Rep. Lee is referring, is responsible for a 30 percent decrease in abortions within a year.

Obviously, for Stacie, listening to the “sounds” of her baby’s heartbeat was just the action she needed to protect her baby’s life rather than extinguish it.

Yes, Stacie died. And aborting her baby may or may not have changed the outcome. We will never know the answer. But because of her selfless choice, a little girl will have the chance to experience a life of opportunity.

In terribly sad medical situations, such as the one Stacie faced, doctors do face the possibility of their patients’ death. But the doctors should always recognize that there are two patients and that they should do what they can to save both lives.

Sometimes it may be necessary to separate the baby from the mother. If the baby is premature, he or she may not survive. But the intent is never to kill the baby in an effort to save the mother. Stacie decided that her little girl was worth the risk, and other women have made that same hard decision.

So-called feminists like Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sheila Jackson Lee could learn a lot about being a strong woman from Stacie Crimm’s story.

Stacie made the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of another. If that isn’t heroic, then what is? In a day when life is constantly cheapened, Stacie Crimm reminded us that it is indeed priceless.

Penny Young Nance is CEO of Concerned Women for America.