Noble Martyrdom - or Self-Delusion?

Perhaps a tad of both. A sense of personal outrage, resignation, and finally a realization that, to accord with one's stringent belief in the sacredness of the meeting of an ovum and a sperm cell one may not destroy what grows within one's bodily temple. Even when the resulting embryo, brought to life through in-vitro fertilization is not one's own and really, truly, has no business in a nurturing womb without a biological connection.

Such are the scruples of religious adherence: the faithful must needs apply to self what they demand of others in recognizing the supremacy of God's word and the exhortation to humankind to 'go forth and multiply', for hasn't He infused them with the imperative to do so? And here I was naive enough to think that Carolyn Savage was, through some twist in law, constrained to surrender the fruit of her body's nurturance to others.

Not so, evidently. The foetus that grew within her body, being the biological result of another couple's attempt to conceive, was one that she and her husband felt they had a moral obligation to carry to fruition. And a similar obligation to hand over to the true biological parents. No one, no human agency, no lawful construct demanded this of them. They interpreted the Lord's word and determined His would be done.

"We wish Paul, Shannon, their twin girls and their new baby boy the best, as they move forward with their lives together", was the message to the biological parents via the media, from the nobly suffering pair, as they gave up the baby that was delivered at St.Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Ohio. Offering as they did so their "heartfelt congratulations" to Paul and Shannon Morell.

Having delivered themselves of this onerous task, and having delivered their message through the media eager to scribble impressions of this unusual affair and this deeply committed pair, they requested privacy as, they said rather plaintively "Our family is going through a very difficult time and requests privacy in the days ahead." Why not gladly offer them the privacy they now wish to possess?

Their brief fling with notoriety, bringing a fresh new look to the annals of nobility has been completed. Their self-imposed task done. Their deeply significant religious message of suffering, forbearance (against an adversity they hadn't sought), spiritual and corporeal generosity - and sad self-congratulations. Theirs was the duty and they met it superbly.

And they are exceedingly elevated by the experience, as they so movingly stated: "Our family is deeply grateful for the support and prayers of so many people from around the world". Duty done: "We didn't have to discuss it. We came to an instantaneous conclusion; this was the path that we had to go down", said Sean Savage.