MH370
The news story of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane has had our family transfixed. We have no personal knowledge of anyone on that plane. Perhaps it is the magnitude of the grief and tragedy that these families have faced over the past 18 days. Perhaps it is because both Sam and I have extended family that frequently travel similar routes - my parents even more often. But after thinking about it and watching the daily headlines and wondering what good can come of this, and entering - albeit from a huge distance - into empathetic grief along with the families affected, I came up with what I feel is the worst aspect of this situation.
CHINA's ONE-CHILD POLICY.
Wait, what does that have to do with this?
Everything. A number of families have been affected and are facing seasons of grieving and piecing their lives back together. But the families of Chinese citizens, whose only child was lost in this disaster - these face more than mere grief. They face anger, betrayal, injustice. They face the reality of their only child being lost, and the injustice of having been denied more children by the government that holds their wombs and potential legacies hostage. They face the grief and suffering that adds insult to injury when all their hopes of family - children, grandchildren, and all that go with them - they face the loss of these in a way that is impossible for me to imagine.
Our family has prayed, and continues to pray for those affected by this horrible event. But in my deepest, groaning prayers and sadness for these families, I pray the Chinese government will come to see, in an all-too-painful way the outcome of some of their edicts. Many other families face similar losses when a car accident kills their only child. So this is not the first or only time for this kind of grief to emerge. But it is very public, and very known worldwide and we need to rise up on their behalf to call on the Chinese government to grant basic human rights and freedoms to their own people. The kind of compassion and empathy that this tragedy engenders should raise new voices of outrage at the 'insult-to-injury' this policy slams upon families in crisis.
So far, my blog stays fairly a-political. But I can't help but to raise my voice for those suffering the deepest pain and grief in the public light.
We call on China to quit the one child policy. To quit robbing families of their own decisions about their children. To quit forced abortions and sterilizations. To quit injuring their own people. Just quit it. Every time we watch a mother grieve over the loss of her only child in China, we need to cry out in prayer and raise our voices to China's government to change the course of their country's future.
END THE ONE CHILD POLICY.
CHINA's ONE-CHILD POLICY.
Wait, what does that have to do with this?
Everything. A number of families have been affected and are facing seasons of grieving and piecing their lives back together. But the families of Chinese citizens, whose only child was lost in this disaster - these face more than mere grief. They face anger, betrayal, injustice. They face the reality of their only child being lost, and the injustice of having been denied more children by the government that holds their wombs and potential legacies hostage. They face the grief and suffering that adds insult to injury when all their hopes of family - children, grandchildren, and all that go with them - they face the loss of these in a way that is impossible for me to imagine.
Our family has prayed, and continues to pray for those affected by this horrible event. But in my deepest, groaning prayers and sadness for these families, I pray the Chinese government will come to see, in an all-too-painful way the outcome of some of their edicts. Many other families face similar losses when a car accident kills their only child. So this is not the first or only time for this kind of grief to emerge. But it is very public, and very known worldwide and we need to rise up on their behalf to call on the Chinese government to grant basic human rights and freedoms to their own people. The kind of compassion and empathy that this tragedy engenders should raise new voices of outrage at the 'insult-to-injury' this policy slams upon families in crisis.
So far, my blog stays fairly a-political. But I can't help but to raise my voice for those suffering the deepest pain and grief in the public light.
We call on China to quit the one child policy. To quit robbing families of their own decisions about their children. To quit forced abortions and sterilizations. To quit injuring their own people. Just quit it. Every time we watch a mother grieve over the loss of her only child in China, we need to cry out in prayer and raise our voices to China's government to change the course of their country's future.
END THE ONE CHILD POLICY.
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