Incredible Stories of Human Ability in Weakness

Here are three amazing stories that speak for themselves.

Baby music:  It appears that babies can remember lullabies they heard in the womb that their mothers sang.  Science Daily reported on a University of Helsinki study that measured brain waves of 24 newborns who were sung a song repeatedly while in utero; they reacted more strongly and immediately than babies who did not hear them.  “These results show that fetuses can recognise and remember sounds from the outside world,” the article said.

“Even though our earlier research indicated that fetuses could learn minor details of speech, we did not know how long they could retain the information. These results show that babies are capable of learning at a very young age, and that the effects of the learning remain apparent in the brain for a long time,” expounds Eino Partanen, who is currently finishing his dissertation at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit.

Blind sight:  Researchers from Montreal and Boston shined more light on blindness.  They found that even when the rods and cones of three blind patients were completely unresponsive, the ganglion cells transmitted information to the brain.  They were “stunned to discover that the brain still respond [sic] significantly to light in these rare three completely blind patients despite having absolutely no conscious vision at all,” Science Daily said.  Functional MRI and experiments with sound shows that the patients’ brains were aware unconsciously of blue light shined into the eyes.  The ganglion cell response to light appears to raise a person’s attentiveness.

Vegetative consciousness:  For the first time, patients listed in a persistent vegetative state have shown the ability to respond to words with their brains, even when their bodies could not.  Experiments with 21 patients described as “vegetative” and eight controls at the University of Cambridge showed that some were not only aware, but were paying attention.  One patient in particular “was able to focus on words signalled by the experimenters as auditory targets as successfully as healthy individuals,” Science Daily reported.  “If this ability can be developed consistently in certain patients who are vegetative, it could open the door to specialised devices in the future and enable them to interact with the outside world.”

Ironically, fully conscious, fully born, fully sighted minors can be killed with government permission in some European countries.  A big debate in Belgium is underway about extending the country’s liberal euthanasia law to minors – and pediatricians are supporting it.  “Why deprive minors of this last possibility?” 16 of them argued, putting the onus on the critics.   “The issue is hugely controversial and raises a host of ethical problems but a majority of Belgian lawmakers is thought to favour the change,” Medical Xpress reported – up to three quarters of Belgians, in fact.  Religious leaders are opposed to this proposed expansion of legal assisted suicide, which rose 25% last year (1,432 cases).  If the new law passes, all a minor under 18 judged to be capable and conscious would have to do is repeatedly state that he or she wants to die.  Concerned that a “grave issue” is being “trivialized,” the religious leaders issued a statement that included, “We cannot accept a logic which will lead to the destruction of society’s foundations.”

How dare we treat human life as anything but sacred.  Who knows what horrors unborn babies and people in “vegetative state” have suffered at the hands of the healthy?  Their Maker knows.  One shudders to think of Terry Schiavo conscious of the discussions about killing her when she had no way to express herself, suffering pain all the way through her starvation.   Darwinists think only the “fit” deserve to live, however fitness is defined by those in power.  God fearers know that the most helpless among us are the most in need of care and love.  Let these scientific findings reinforce the conviction to actively support the right to life.  Let’s also help minors understand God’s love for them so that they will not sink into despair.  History and the last story above about euthanasia illustrate once again that all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing – and it can triumph in one generation if the young are taught that life is the product of evolutionary happenstance, a plaything for the powerful.  The foundation of the right to life is recognition that we are endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (i.e., a life of satisfying purpose).