Sad

A relative of B's is pregnant. She just found out that the baby has Trisomy 18, which is a disorder in the same family as Downs Syndrome but with much more severe symptoms. Babies with Trisomy 18 rarely live long enough to even be born, and of those that do, most die within the first month of life.

B's cousin will have an abortive procedure, presumably a D&E if they haven't made it illegal yet, sometime this week. Considering this is happening to someone I've never even met, it shouldn't affect me so much. But it does. I imagine that for a day or two at least, the worst day of her life is still upcoming. I imagine all the people who will say, in one way or another, to just get over it; it isn't that big of a deal; it's better this way; you can always try again. I imagine the pressure to forget what happened and move on once she is pregnant again, as if one baby can be substituted for another.

I'm not religious, and I don't pray. But I can think about her and hope she knows that she will make it through this.