The Shepherd, the Wolf, The Ewe, and the Lamb

This story, while a moral tale in its own right, is based on the tragic tale of Savita Halappanavar, the woman who died this week in UCG Hospital in Galway Ireland, after she needed her baby removed from her womb at 17 weeks gestation to save her life. 
The doctor, saying they wanted to stay within the law, said not until the baby died could it be moved. Another woman told Savita and her husband it couldn’t be done as Ireland was a Catholic country.To her pleas she was neither Irish or Catholic, being a Hindu dentist from India working in the area, she was still denied, citing law and national feeling, and she had the fetus removed after the heartbeat stopped, by which time infection had set in and she died a short time after.

It is a watershed case for the pro-life movement, as the family demanded abortion, but was denied, even though every pro-life body from Youth Defense to the Catholic Church have said that the baby should have been removed either surgically or by induced birth as it was miscarrying anyway, and the mothers life saved. It was not abortion, as it was not done deliberate to kill the child, but done to save the mother, an unintentional side effect being the killing of the child, unavoidable as it was miscarrying anyway. 
This poem is a pro-lifers attempt to square the circle that the doctors couldn’t being unable to think outside the box.

The Shepherd, the Wolf, The Ewe, and the Lamb

The farmer to his shepherd spoke
In a field some years ago
Who when trying to save the flock from the wolf
He lost both lamb and ewe.
The shepherd to the farmer pleaded
As for mercy from the farmer he sought
Explained why he did what he did
As he thought he aught.

The wolf among the flock had come
Who each in terror fled
Following the leader of the flock
As sheep do, in mortal dread
From field to field the wolf stalked them
As the shepherd tried to drive him away
But the wolf was hungry with young to feed
And would not be kept at bay.

Now in a ditch that was flooded
A lamb and young floundered lost
The youth, being keen to do what’s right
Said he would save them, never mind the cost
So he waded in to save the lamb
And held it up in the air
And waded out the other side triumphant
As if he were a champion warrior there.

The ewe, distressed, her bleats pleading
Out to her lamb she did cry
The youth to get her waded back
Leaving the lamb on the bank to dry
And while the mother he in van grappled
Her by now being sodden wet
The wolf struck the lamb down dead
Before out of the water the shepherd could get.

And on the bank, with stick in hand
At the wolf he did beat
Yes, the wolf ran from his meal
But the shepherd saw defeat
With streaming eyes of tears
He to his anguish found
On returning to the waters gorging
The ewe herself had drowned.

What is a shepherd to do, he asked
I tried to think as you
He said to the farmer stern
“”I Thought, what would you do?
I am but a shepherd
I’m no farmer, but a youth I am
And a shepherd’s is only a good one
When he cares for the weakest lamb.””

The farmer in anger spoke
With venom in his voice
Told the youth to choose the lamb
If again for another farmer had the choice.
Why should a child think like a man
It is not his place to be
In trying to save the lamb he lost them both
But a foolish youth was he.

“”You are not the farmer”” said the farmer
“”You do not own the land
These sheep are not your own
You do not understand
You lost the ewe you young fool
By trying to save the lamb
You lost him too to save yourself
Your not the farmer, I am!

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