By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

“Such a big miracle in such a little child.”

That’s the message affixed to one of the walls at the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, where I work.

The motto succinctly celebrates the dignity and value of each child–before and after birth.

When I was working as a secular journalist, I wrote many, many stories about abortion. But at that time I did not know the fundamentals of fetal development.

For instance, I did not realize that at just 19 days after conception, the baby’s eyes start to develop. I had no clue that at 42 days, the skeleton is complete and reflexes are present. I was ignorant of the fact that at 43 days, electrical brain wave patterns can be recorded, meaning that thinking is taking place in the brain.

Each of these milestones, in and of itself, is a miracle. When you put them all together, you have a magnificent child of priceless worth.

If you do not know the markers of the development of an unborn child, I invite you to visit https://www.paprolife.org/your-babys-development/ Chances are you will be just as amazed as I was at what you find.

And the next time you hear someone talk about an unborn child as just another “choice,” think about the development of the baby in the womb, and take a minute to ponder the miracle that is every child.