
"On December 2nd, 1999, the tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from his mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner, as if to thank him for touching him with the hand of God and saving his life. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not have survived had he been removed from his mother's womb, so was operated on while in the womb. Samuel's mother, Julia Armas is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta and being aware of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure, she contacted him at his work at Vanerbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville. Samuel was born in perfect health. His mother wept after she saw the picture of her son reaching out for the surgeon's hand. She said, 'The photo reminds us that pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person.' This thought for today isn't to put across any Roman Catholic propaganda about 'pro-life'; it is merely to remind all that the current abortion limit in Great Britain is 24 weeks. When one sees a picture like this, the semantics that seeks to distinguish between 'fetus' and 'life' is much, much more than merely academic, isn't it?" William Forde: May 31st, 2013.