‘Mr. Mistake’s’ story

By Jim Ross Lightfoot, former Congressional Representative from Iowa’s 3rd District

Dear Maggie,

As a way of introduction, please let me share this true story with you [and Pulse Life Advocates readers]. The primary person in this story is a young lady 19 years old. Her last name has been removed to protect her privacy.

Life looks a whole lot different from this end of the spectrum. Having ridden this old rock we call Earth around the Sun 87 times come September 27, I have witnessed a lot of water running under the bridge. Making the trip all the way since from being a kid living on a good Iowa farm where the water came from a hand pump, we listened to a battery powered radio at night while a kerosene Aladdin lamp lighted the room and today’s “indoor plumbing” was a walk down a few boards to keep you out of the mud to a little house on the end. It only smelled good in the wintertime and during a cold Iowa winter you learned to always be second. A Sears or Montgomery Wards catalogue was the Charmin of the day. Much has changed in all the years since. Not all of it for the better.

An old man’s opinion

Without a doubt, the worst of the changes is the attitude supporting abortion as an acceptable form of birth control. In this old man’s opinion, it is a barbaric approach, backed by millions of dollars to a few big companies and over $2 billion in 3 years to Planned Parenthood and others operating the abortion mills around our country.

The voice we never hear in this discussion is that of the unborn child. They will pay the price for the mother’s mistakes without the opportunity for anyone to hear their tiny voice. That’s why I believe Helen’s story is important to tell.

God’s Waiting Room is an identity I use for the op-ed pieces I write. It fits our discussion today. As I sit in God’s Waiting Room, the word “mistake” reverberates around me. In the political world each side accuses the other of lying. The most often heard word is “mistake.”  In fact the entire so-called Pro-Choice movement is based on the premise of correcting a “mistake.”

A “playmaker” issue

Abortion is a highly emotional issue and is manipulated by political advisors to gather people in support of abortion as well as drive a wedge between candidates opposing abortion and their supporting voting bloc. Feelings run high on both sides of the issue. Abortion has been a “playmaker” issue for years in our political system.

However, in all the debate and political noise, one voice is silent and never mentioned: the voice of the child that will or will not be aborted. What do you think that child might say? Perhaps Helen’s story will provide some insight to what that unborn child is crying at the top of their voice. Something they want people to hear and understand.

Helen’s story …

Take your mind all the way back to late December or early January 1938. Eighteen-year-old Helen works as a nursing assistant in a hospital where a young man, who fell from a bridge while doing construction work and broke his back, is a patient. They became close during his extended hospital stay.

Once he recovered enough to leave the hospital, the two started dating. During that late December/early January time, the two dated several times. At some point during their courtship, the lovemaking resulted in a grave mistake: Helen became pregnant.

Knowing she could not financially raise a child, Helen faced one of the most serious choices of her young life: “What do I do?”

‘Mr. Mistake’ is born

Was the new baby growing in her womb a mistake? Yes. Was she going to make another mistake and have the baby killed or aborted in politically correct language? The answer to that question was no. After all, it was not the child’s fault it had been created. It was a mistake she and her lover had made. Helen chose to carry the new baby full term to birth and then place it up for adoption.

On September 27, 1938, Mr. Mistake took his first breath of life in the Florence Crittenden Home for Unwed Mothers on Sioux City, IA. After he had been cleaned up and wrapped in a warm, soft blanket, he was handed to Helen to hold. She named him Roger. However, their time together was very brief, just a few minutes. The nurses then whisked Mr. Mistake away, and Helen knew she would never see him again.

Had she done the correct thing?

Would her baby end up in a good home? What kind of future would he have? Would he have a family of his own? The questions continued to swirl in her head as Mr. Mistake was moved 95.7 miles south to the Christian Home, a facility specializing in adoption located in Council Bluffs.

During the Great Depression, an extremely hardworking, God-fearing couple grew up, married, and dreamed of building a large family. Despite their efforts, they could not have a child of their own. Eventually, this wonderful couple, who lived on a farm, adopted Mr. Mistake.

Life started off well for Mr. Mistake. He had wonderful parents who loved him with all their hearts. They lived on a farm, where he learned about life and death through raising livestock. Being skilled in mechanical work, electrical work, plumbing, welding, animal husbandry, and bookkeeping is crucial for survival and success if a person wants to be a good farmer or anything else worthwhile. Raising and exhibiting prize livestock were a part of his high school years.

Mr. Mistake has a diverse career background.

He served in the US Army, worked as a police officer, spent 20 years at a major radio station, built and managed a successful manufacturing facility, served twelve years in the US Congress, and spent thirteen years as the Vice President of a ballistics forensics company. As Vice President, he helped the company build and establish its product as the world standard in ballistic identification.

While accomplishing this, Mr. Mistake married and has three daughters, a son, and five grandchildren.

Yes, Helen made the right choice. She didn’t blame her mistake on the baby she had created. She allowed Mr. Mistake to live and become the voice of the millions of children we kill each year under the false, selfish guise of “nobody tells me what to do with my body.”

What you have just read is a true story. Mr. Mistake is retired today and lives with his wife of nearly fifty years in White Oak, TX.

I hope Helen’s story will offer you more encouragement to fight the battle for that unborn child whose voice is difficult to hear.

God bless,

Jim Ross Lightfoot, aka ‘Mr. Mistake’