A Religious Dilemma
Stories
LECTIONARY TALES FOR THE PULPIT
Series III, Cycle A
Maia knew she was carrying twins. A single mother who does not speak English, Maia knew something was wrong when her doctor checked her out much more extensively at her 28--week checkup. She didn't have the nursery quite ready and hoped the twins hadn't decided to come into the world a little early. She still needed those twelve weeks until their official due date to get things ready.
Maia had already picked out names: Jessie and Joseph if they were boys; Amanda and Bethany if they were girls; and Jessie and Amanda if one of each. Dr. Gram looked worried when he listened carefully to Maia's enormous belly. Dr. Gram's nurse spoke Spanish and she told Maia that Dr. Gram wanted to do some further testing. She did not translate that Dr. Gram was indeed very, very worried. He could detect only one heartbeat although the ultrasounds showed obvious twins. There was hardly any movement when he gently pushed on Maia's stomach. The reactions were not what he had expected or hoped for.
After extensive testing, Maia was told the babies would be taken by Cesarean section. Maia was disappointed and called her boyfriend, mom, and two sisters. Maia was prepped for surgery and a few hours later the babies were born.
Amanda and Bethany were hurried off to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. They were not only twins: they were joined at the hip - literally. They were conjoined. When their cells split in gestation, somehow they stopped before they were finished completely splitting, and the girls grew that way. Their bodies were joined from the belly button down. It was quite a shock to Maia, but she was glad her mother and sisters could be with her. She would need an enormous amount of strength to face the days ahead.
Her boyfriend, Jimmy, hadn't wanted anything to do with the actual birth. He told her he was afraid of hospitals, since his mother died in one, and he would wait to hear the news. He was waiting at the body shop when he got the call to come to see the babies and Maia immediately. The doctor wanted to confer with the care team and would be with Maia and Jimmy later. They wanted Maia to have a chance to be in recovery and gather her strength.
The obstetrician, three pediatricians, a neonatologist, and a cardiovascular surgeon were called together and met for over an hour. Baby One, now named Amanda, was the stronger of the two and looked pink and healthy. Her Apgar score was seven. Baby Two, now called Bethany, was a little grayer, not responding appropriately to stimuli and had an Apgar score of two.
It appeared from the CT scan that Amanda's body was more complete than Bethany's. Amanda had a liver, kidneys, bladder, and the other necessary organs from the hip down. She had two legs.
Bethany was joined to Amanda at the belly button and she did not have a liver, kidneys, or other organs. Her body literally ended at her stomach. She did not have legs.
The case was very intense: the girls would have to be separated at once so that Amanda could be a viable little infant and have a better chance at normalcy. The doctors carefully outlined their thoughts to each other on how to disjoin the twins. The surgical team was enlisted, with orders given that they be put on standby immediately. Dr. Gram was still in attendance at the care conference even though he gave over the twins' care to the head of Neonatology, Dr. Smirna, a brilliant doctor. They were assured that physically Maia had come through the Cesarean very well. Their main concern now were the twins.
The operating room was scheduled, blood was ordered, and technicians were put on standby. Charts were quickly drawn up and scans were held up and compared, with various points carefully circled. But first the doctors needed Maia's permission, a technicality at best.
Dr. Smirna was introduced by Dr. Gram as they walked into the recovery room and closed the curtain around Maia and Jimmy. Through the interpreter, Dr. Smirna carefully explained the procedure to them, going over a few carefully selected scans of the girls' internal organs. They didn't want to overwhelm the parents, but they needed to know the intensity and gravity of the procedure before them. Bethany had no chance, but they wanted to ensure that Amanda was as good as she could be when she came out of surgery. A plastic surgeon would help once all the surgeries were complete for minimal scarring later on. Could the parents sign so the surgery could begin? They could have a chance to say good--bye to Bethany privately while the doctors got things ready.
Maia and Jimmy asked for some time alone, and it didn't take them long to decide. They would not allow their babies to be disjoined. They were not God and only God could make that decision. They would not choose which baby would live or die - that was up to God. They were devout in their beliefs, and something like this was not going to allow them to waver in their knowledge that God had a plan for them, for Amanda, and for Bethany. God would decide, not Maia and Jimmy.
Dr. Smirna was stunned when she returned and heard Maia's proclamation. She looked at the interpreter, asking if there was any question about what was going on. Were there any technical questions they had? Had they understood the enormous burden Amanda was under breathing for Bethany? Did they understand the urgency to get the twins apart?
The interpreter spoke with Maia. She was convinced Maia and Jimmy understood perfectly well what was going on and that only one could survive if disjoined. None would survive if left in their present state. Yet the parents felt that both were in God's care, and the parents refused to sign. Dr. Smirna rushed out, heading to the hospital legal department.
Round and round the doctors, social workers, lawyer, and ethicist went with the parents. All to no avail. They could not and would not allow anything to happen to their daughters that was not sanctioned by God. If one was to die, then one would die. If they were both to live, then God would allow them to live. If they were meant to die, then God would take them.
The hospital understood that the parents wanted to stick to their beliefs, but it was not content, and the state was called in to take immediate custody of the twins. They were disjoined at the age of four days. Bethany died during surgery. Amanda died four hours later of complications.
"Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out." (vv. 32--34)
Maia had already picked out names: Jessie and Joseph if they were boys; Amanda and Bethany if they were girls; and Jessie and Amanda if one of each. Dr. Gram looked worried when he listened carefully to Maia's enormous belly. Dr. Gram's nurse spoke Spanish and she told Maia that Dr. Gram wanted to do some further testing. She did not translate that Dr. Gram was indeed very, very worried. He could detect only one heartbeat although the ultrasounds showed obvious twins. There was hardly any movement when he gently pushed on Maia's stomach. The reactions were not what he had expected or hoped for.
After extensive testing, Maia was told the babies would be taken by Cesarean section. Maia was disappointed and called her boyfriend, mom, and two sisters. Maia was prepped for surgery and a few hours later the babies were born.
Amanda and Bethany were hurried off to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. They were not only twins: they were joined at the hip - literally. They were conjoined. When their cells split in gestation, somehow they stopped before they were finished completely splitting, and the girls grew that way. Their bodies were joined from the belly button down. It was quite a shock to Maia, but she was glad her mother and sisters could be with her. She would need an enormous amount of strength to face the days ahead.
Her boyfriend, Jimmy, hadn't wanted anything to do with the actual birth. He told her he was afraid of hospitals, since his mother died in one, and he would wait to hear the news. He was waiting at the body shop when he got the call to come to see the babies and Maia immediately. The doctor wanted to confer with the care team and would be with Maia and Jimmy later. They wanted Maia to have a chance to be in recovery and gather her strength.
The obstetrician, three pediatricians, a neonatologist, and a cardiovascular surgeon were called together and met for over an hour. Baby One, now named Amanda, was the stronger of the two and looked pink and healthy. Her Apgar score was seven. Baby Two, now called Bethany, was a little grayer, not responding appropriately to stimuli and had an Apgar score of two.
It appeared from the CT scan that Amanda's body was more complete than Bethany's. Amanda had a liver, kidneys, bladder, and the other necessary organs from the hip down. She had two legs.
Bethany was joined to Amanda at the belly button and she did not have a liver, kidneys, or other organs. Her body literally ended at her stomach. She did not have legs.
The case was very intense: the girls would have to be separated at once so that Amanda could be a viable little infant and have a better chance at normalcy. The doctors carefully outlined their thoughts to each other on how to disjoin the twins. The surgical team was enlisted, with orders given that they be put on standby immediately. Dr. Gram was still in attendance at the care conference even though he gave over the twins' care to the head of Neonatology, Dr. Smirna, a brilliant doctor. They were assured that physically Maia had come through the Cesarean very well. Their main concern now were the twins.
The operating room was scheduled, blood was ordered, and technicians were put on standby. Charts were quickly drawn up and scans were held up and compared, with various points carefully circled. But first the doctors needed Maia's permission, a technicality at best.
Dr. Smirna was introduced by Dr. Gram as they walked into the recovery room and closed the curtain around Maia and Jimmy. Through the interpreter, Dr. Smirna carefully explained the procedure to them, going over a few carefully selected scans of the girls' internal organs. They didn't want to overwhelm the parents, but they needed to know the intensity and gravity of the procedure before them. Bethany had no chance, but they wanted to ensure that Amanda was as good as she could be when she came out of surgery. A plastic surgeon would help once all the surgeries were complete for minimal scarring later on. Could the parents sign so the surgery could begin? They could have a chance to say good--bye to Bethany privately while the doctors got things ready.
Maia and Jimmy asked for some time alone, and it didn't take them long to decide. They would not allow their babies to be disjoined. They were not God and only God could make that decision. They would not choose which baby would live or die - that was up to God. They were devout in their beliefs, and something like this was not going to allow them to waver in their knowledge that God had a plan for them, for Amanda, and for Bethany. God would decide, not Maia and Jimmy.
Dr. Smirna was stunned when she returned and heard Maia's proclamation. She looked at the interpreter, asking if there was any question about what was going on. Were there any technical questions they had? Had they understood the enormous burden Amanda was under breathing for Bethany? Did they understand the urgency to get the twins apart?
The interpreter spoke with Maia. She was convinced Maia and Jimmy understood perfectly well what was going on and that only one could survive if disjoined. None would survive if left in their present state. Yet the parents felt that both were in God's care, and the parents refused to sign. Dr. Smirna rushed out, heading to the hospital legal department.
Round and round the doctors, social workers, lawyer, and ethicist went with the parents. All to no avail. They could not and would not allow anything to happen to their daughters that was not sanctioned by God. If one was to die, then one would die. If they were both to live, then God would allow them to live. If they were meant to die, then God would take them.
The hospital understood that the parents wanted to stick to their beliefs, but it was not content, and the state was called in to take immediate custody of the twins. They were disjoined at the age of four days. Bethany died during surgery. Amanda died four hours later of complications.
"Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out." (vv. 32--34)
