I’m writing to share why I oppose L.D. 1619, Gov. Janet Mills’ bill to allow full-term abortions to be performed.

I had a challenging first pregnancy, and my son wasn’t getting the nutrients and oxygen he needed to grow. After some testing and observation, I was given a list of complications that he might face and was offered the option to terminate the pregnancy.

I declined, and my son was born a micro-preemie at 30 weeks, but at the size and developmental stage of 24 weeks. He was under one pound for his first weeks of life.

While in the NICU, my son recognized the sound of my voice. His heart rate would increase, and he would squirm until I picked him up.

He also learned to recognize the voice of his nurse and would squeeze my finger as if begging me not to put him down. He would cry every time he had to have blood drawn, and he would flinch at the touch of cold fingers.

He was fully human; capable of living, learning and feeling.

He is 16 now and has had only a couple of struggles from the mile-long list I was given from professionals who could only guess what his future might hold. When I asked him what he would say if he could speak up for babies without voices, he said, “That’s a no-brainer … I would rather be alive and have some struggles than be dead.”

Misty Gendron, Lisbon Falls

* * *

Kill bill L.D. 1619.

Is it wrong to kill a child who’s age 10? Two? An hour old? In the birth canal?

Some people support abortion because they don’t want the baby to suffer, but things done to terminate a baby are often much worse forms of suffering.

In fourth grade I was brought to tears as my teacher read from “The Giver” about the abortion of children who were imperfect. This book was based on a dystopian society.

Is this the type of society we want Maine to be?

In that book, I would have been one of the aborted babies.

My mom was given the option to abort me based on estimations of my future suffering. I was one pound, 12 ounces at birth, and yes, I’ve had struggles and experienced pain, but nothing close to the list the “experts” gave my mom.

My suffering is not worse than death, and my life is worth living.

Every child is a lot of work. Some might call children an inconvenience, but is that worth putting them to death?

Some doctors say that inconvenience is reason enough. Can we trust doctors to keep us healthy and safe if they are allowed to kill based on inconvenience?

Passing this bill would be justifying my murder, since I was offered to be terminated. I would like anyone supporting this bill to look me in the eyes and tell me that I should have been allowed to die.

Isaac Gendron, Lisbon Falls

* * *

I’m Simon Gendron, and I’m 11 years old — which I know may be young — but you don’t need to be old to understand the trouble caused by L.D. 1619: murder, and a law that breaks another law.

This sin of murder would happen far too often if this bill passes.

Genesis 9:7 says “as for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it,” but abortion does just the opposite. It devalues life and family.

Our law already considers medical emergencies and necessities. But sometimes mothers consider having an abortion simply because the child is an inconvenience or isn’t perfect.

Psalm 139:14 says that “we are fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Children are precious to God, and we should consider them precious also.

Simon Gendron, Lisbon Falls