“Can I touch your belly?” the 5-year-old boy asked.
His mom was embarrassed by his request but I was happy to oblige:
“Sure,” I said. “The baby is getting big.”
I was 7 months pregnant and my husband and I were on a road trip to Virginia where I was scheduled to give a pro-life presentation. We turned our travels into a bit of a babymoon and stopped off at the beautiful beach destination of Hilton Head, South Carolina. As we sat at a pool area, we met a vacationing family which included the inquisitive son.
The little boy’s curiosity and attraction to my child in the womb reminded me of an experience I had had a month prior. I visited a friend who has 3 children and when I was leaving, one of her daughters ran up to me and said, “Hugs!” I crouched down, assuming she wanted to hug me, but was taken aback (in a good way!) when she wrapped her tiny arms not around my shoulders, but around my pregnant belly.
She wanted to hug my pre-born child goodbye.
In our abortion-supporting world, it is the sweet gestures of these young children that teach a lesson to adults: A pregnant belly is different; it is set apart. Encountering a pregnant woman is to receive not just one person, but two.
Oh to have the eyes to see not just she who is visible, but to have awe and wonder at the precious life hidden within.