In a video released today by Secular Pro-Life, the mother of conjoined twins challenges the idea that “you don’t have the right to life unless you can live independently of someone else’s body.”
Tatiana and Krista Hogan, age five, are conjoined at the head. Because they share brain tissue, and because Krista is partially dependent upon Tatiana’s heart for adequate blood supply, they cannot be surgically separated. Overall, however, the girls have enjoyed good health, reaching their developmental milestones on schedule.
Mother Felicia Simms learned of her daughters’ condition at five months’ gestation, and refused to consider an abortion. She has received anonymous hate mail for choosing life.
“They called the girls freaks,” she told the Daily Mail in 2010. “The nameless letters said that I should never have had them.”
Secular Pro-Life president Kelsey Hazzard expressed her hopes that the video would benefit the family.
“Fortunately, the girls are too young to have understood those hateful messages,” she said. “But that won’t last forever, and they are inevitably growing up in the public eye. This video is a way for the family to say, ‘These sweet girls have a right to be here, and they’ve always had a right to be here.’ Hopefully people will start to think before they speak.”
The twins live with their family in Canada. Filming was accomplished with valuable assistance from Canadian media group Signal Hill. Movie to Movement and the Life Matters Journal also contributed to the project.
The purpose of the video is twofold. Pro-choice and undecided viewers are moved to reconsider the bodily autonomy argument. Viewers who are already pro-life are encouraged to put their convictions into practice by visiting the website ProLifeCares.org, which promotes worthy charities untainted by connections to the abortion industry.
CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!
“Despite all the propaganda to the contrary, pro-lifers care deeply about the welfare of all vulnerable people, not only those not yet born,” Hazzard said. “But pro-lifers are understandably cautious about where their money goes, and in recent months the Komen scandal has intensified that concern. ProLifeCares.org connects pro-lifers to a range of charities that they can feel good about supporting.” The site also includes non-financial ways for pro-lifers to make a difference.
