By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

I vividly recall the diamond that my father bought to replace the ring that had been stolen from my mother in a hotel room during their honeymoon.

The diamond was small, yet exquisite to my child’s eyes. It was all that my father could afford. I found it to be elegant and regal, and so befitting my mother’s royal-like bearing.

The fact that the diamond was tiny made it no less spectacular to me. In fact, I believe that I respected it all the more–so much beauty contained in such a tiny package.

This memory reminds me of why it is so important to protect preborn children at the earliest stages of development. They are no less worthy of respect, just because they are small.

The heart of an unborn child can beat just 24 days after conception. Brain waves can be detected a mere 43 days post-conception. At 49 days, the preborn baby looks like a miniature doll with arms and legs, fingers, toes, and ears.

How grand the creation of a child is, only a few weeks after conception. Do supporters of legal abortion know such facts about fetal development, or does their political ideology blind them to the truth?

In any case, any unborn baby at any stage of development deserves complete legal protection. Our shared humanity demands it. One day, I believe that our U.S. Supreme Court will recognize it, too.