There was
this story about a professor of medicine in a world- acclaimed medical school,
who, in an attempt to espouse the sanctity of life, posed a medical situation,
which was an ethical problem to his students. He said: “Here’s the family
history: The father has syphilis. The mother has tuberculosis (TB). They
already have had four children. The first is blind. The second had died. The
third is deaf. The fourth has TB. Now the mother is pregnant again. The parents
come to you for advice. They are willing to have an abortion, if you decide
they should. What do you say?”
The
students, it was gathered, gave various individual opinions. But the professor
was not satisfied. So, he asked them to retire into small groups for
“consultation.” They did. When they came back with their reports, all the
groups recommended abortion.
Satirically,
the professor said: “Congratulations,” but added: “You just took the life of
Beethoven!” Reason: the medical history, which he presented, was that of Ludwig
Van Beethoven, who, some experts in music widely considered as the greatest
pianist and composer of all time. Though one cannot precisely establish how
Beethoven, a German, used his music and his entire life to glorify God, the
preservation of his life was an opportunity to express his existence. This
aptly revealed that God’s ways are not man’s ways.
Therefore,
we should not only make prompt and permanent provision for others’ safety, we
must also avoid hurting others, either directly or indirectly.
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