16 years in Korea, 3 years in Hong Kong, 15 years in China and a lifetime of serving the Lord. In China you must receive permission to become pregnant. Typically only a married couple without a child is granted permission. Each different community has a quota of babies allowed to be born each year. There are Officials in charge of the different areas. They are responsible for making sure the number of infants born does not exceed the quota or else they will be terminated. To ensure this doesn’t happen women are required to take pregnancy tests every few months. If they are pregnant they are often forced to have an abortion. Frequently women are forced to have an IUD put in her or are sterilized unwillingly. Let’s call her Sister Mary Clarence for safety purposes has sacrificed everything and risks her life to fight for these women every day. She along with 4,000 other incredible women have opened pregnancy crisis homes around the world for women who do not want to have an abortion to go. They help the women take care of the babies and make sure they get the care they need. They provide the women with financial opportunities (making jewelry). These sisters show women how special God made them and how worthy of love they are. Sister Mary Clarence puts her life in danger every day. She is not only not following the Chinese laws but helping these mothers rebel against their government.
The women in China are taught that life doesn’t begin until 17 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions are not only forced but highly encouraged. Women are not allowed to have a test to tell if their baby will be a girl or a boy. Some women pay under the table to discover the sex of the baby. Many times girls are aborted. Tests now show if the baby will be born with a disability. Handicapped or disabled children are considered to be a burden for the government and are typically aborted. Babies born with disabilities are often strapped to a table left to die. If the baby doesn’t die in 24 hours they will call an adoption agency. The agencies have strict criteria of babies they are allowed to take. Babies that will require a lot of medical attention or are not likely to be adopted are left to die.
Hearing this was not easy for me and I am sure it wasn’t easy to read. These stories are really hard but I thank God for people like Sister Mary Clarence and organizations like the baby home talked about in my previous blog, 54 Miracles. These people bring hope to circumstances that appear hopeless. They bring light to darkness.
“The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
