January 22, 1970, was the day that changed everything. While it seemed like a normal gray winter day, during which people went to work, studied in school, and lived their daily lives as usual, this day was entirely unique because it was the day that Russell Sacco, a noted Oregon urologist, took a few simple pictures.
Dr. Sacco was what you could call a nominal pro-lifer. While he would call himself pro-life and though he was aware of the process of abortion, which had been legalized in Oregon in 1969, he was not an outspoken advocate for life and more often than not he let the issue slip to the back of his mind. In an interview years later, Dr. Sacco would admit, "As a doctor, I knew that abortion kills children," but at the time it wasn't real to him.
Despite his indifference towards abortion as a whole, Dr. Sacco did want to learn more about the actual procedure and, a few months before the fateful day in January, Sacco had started researching and asking questions about the actual process. He spoke to friends and other doctors, he asked them what they knew and thought about the procedure. Where did other medical professionals stand on the issue?
Sacco's research brought him to a local hospital one morning, where he was introduced to a pathologist who also seemed interested in the abortion issue. The two men talked and, as their conversation continued, it became more and more apparent that this pathologist was not only interested in Sacco's questions but he had his own information to include. Sacco recalls, " After talking awhile, I remarked how bad it was and he said he wanted to show me something."
The pathologist produced a plastic bucket and allowed Dr. Sacco to look inside. What he saw cut him to the quick and took his breath away. Inside, perfectly preserved, were the bodies of five or six aborted babies in some of their earliest stages. Equally fascinated by the subject of abortion and awakened to its horrors, the pathologist had saved and preserved these little bodies, unable to let them be destroyed like so many others.
Sacco couldn't believe what he was seeing. These children were a clear indication that even early in the gestation process humanity exited within the womb. Contrary to popular belief, these were not just clumps of cells or lifeless tissue. While it was difficult to determine an exact age, Sacco estimated that most of them were around ten weeks old. They were tiny and fragile and yet perfect and undeniably human.
Given permission by the pathologist, Dr. Sacco began taking pictures of the little bodies, in the hope that they would serve as a hard-hitting example of what was lost during even the earliest abortions. But, as he worked, Sacco realized that without a point of reference no one would be able to tell just how small these children were. An idea struck him. Carefully picking up one of the bodies, Sacco gently placed its perfectly formed feet between his fingers and, with tears in his eyes, snapped a photo. In a later interview, Dr. Sacco said, "I really didn't think the photo would be anything, but God must have taken the picture because it was perfect."
~
Dr. Sacco would go on to share his "Precious Feet" photo with thousands of people, speaking to the fact that from the moment of conception a baby is human, detailed, and worthy of life. He said, "I knew that this would be one powerful way to send a message to the world."
The Precious Feet have been in circulation for 52 years now and they have been a monumental tool in the fight against abortion. The little child who died did not die in vain.
Sources: Medium.com, Catholic Herald.org
Photo Credit: Medium
No comments:
Post a Comment