Baby born pre-maturely to cancer-stricken mother loses battle for life

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 24, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The Argentinean newspaper Cristo Hoy reported last week that a two month-old baby who was born pre-maturely at 27 weeks lost his battle for life and has died.  The baby’s mother, Laura Figueroa, had refused treatments for cancer in order to give her baby a chance to live.  She died from complications related to her illness on August 9.

Laura Figueroa was 39 and was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after conceiving her ninth child.  Doctors advised she begin chemotherapy even though that meant significant risk to her unborn child, but she decided to postpone treatment until after the child’s birth.

“Cristo Hoy” dedicated the editorial of its latest edition to the moving story of Laura and her son Pedro.

“Thank You, Maria Laura, thank you, little Pedro, because you did not come down from the cross.  Your deaths dignified all of our lives,” the editorial said.  “We have been created for the heroism of giving our lives for God and for our brothers and sisters.  What does the cross say to us each time we look upon it? That Christ gave his life, and yet if we allow ourselves to get carried away by the logic of this world we are instead saying to ourselves: care for your life, use your life, enjoy life,” the editors said.

Several months ago, Laura explained that she made the decision to try to save the life of her child to be a witness to help those who defend life from the moment of conception.

“Today more than ever, there are people who are against life, who today want to legalize abortion, which I consider to be an abominable crime.  Therefore I ask that this testimony serve to encourage those who defend unborn life.  I would like all women who are expecting a child to remember that now situation, no matter how hard, justifies taking the life of the baby they carry in their womb.  Not even in cases of rape or risk of their own life,” she said.