Most of us are compelled by science or faith to fight to end abortion and euthanasia and build the Culture of Life.
But there are those among us whose commitment to the Pro-Life cause relates directly to a jarring real life experience.
Pastor Chris and Kristy Dupree know exactly what such a personal experience looks like. They know all too well that killing babies diagnosed with disabilities is encouraged. They know all too well that any difficult diagnosis during a pregnancy carries no light emotional load. They know all too well what struggling looks like.
Yet their deep faith has equipped them with the ability to hold fast to their Pro-Life convictions and trust God in all things.
Take a few minutes to read through Pastor Dupree’s interview and watch his video. Become inspired to be a louder and more courageous voice for Life.
“Hey my name is Chris Dupree, and I get to serve as the lead pastor at BT (Baptist Temple) Church in the Rio Grande Valley. Married to amazing wife, Christie, for 16 years, and we have 4 kids.
Our youngest son, Luke, was born November, 6th of 2012. We were told that our son, Luke, was diagnosed with what’s called Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. What we were told to anticipate is by the time he would reach adolescence he probably wouldn’t be able to walk. Pretty much guaranteed bladder and bowel issues for his whole life.
The hardest thing for me to swallow was that my son wouldn’t walk, or wouldn’t walk for the majority of his life. Regardless of what my son was going to face, he was going to be a gift.
When you have a child with Spina Bifida, you have to have a neuro surgeon. That child is going to have surgery.
The option of abortion was brought up. That was presented as a viable, if not preferred, option. If abortion is going to be an option, it shouldn’t be brought up by a medical professional. I think its possible well-meaning parents can sit across from somebody who’s very eloquent, very educated and candidly get talked into that because it sounds right. I just let the counselor know this session was now over. We have done what we were asked to do. I’m ready to meet with doctors that can talk to me about the life of my child, as opposed to the death of my child.
When he was born, he had all the markers of Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. At two days old he had surgery on his spine, and at 4 days old he had a shunt placed. At 18 months he took his first step. He hasn’t slowed down since. He shows no cognitive delays. He’s pretty bright. Luke is five now. He turned five November of 2017.
He is a blessing because God knit him together. We still believe that that Life is precious in the sight of God, and because of that, it should be precious in the sight of man. It’s about pressing in and reminding ourselves of the gift that children are, and not deciding the worth of that child based on a medical diagnosis.”