28 Weeks

If Only William Paley Had a Sonogram Machine

If William Paley could tag along to our doctor’s visits, I think he would be very pleased with himself. The 19th century British apologist popularized the teleological argument for the existence of God, indicating that the presence of design in nature demanded the existence of an intelligent Designer outside natural phenomenon.

So far, the multiplicity of sonograms have proved to be our favorite part of pregnancy. They have offered shocking insight to the early stages of development – proving that the two little boys whooping it up in my belly possess both life and personhood. During our first visit to the doctor, the twins looked anything but human. We could only make out two little dots blinking on and off. But by 12 weeks, we could see two fully- formed profiles. In fact, during the same visit, the doctor suggested that Baby A was sucking his thumb (see pictures we posted at week 12). Not long after our 12 week visit, sonograms gave these first-time parents a glimpse at the personalities of our babies that still proves true at 28 weeks (see week 15 posting). But even at 6 weeks, Jonathan and I didn’t need sonogram pictures to convince us of the existence and significance of the two little babies inside me. What our eyes were unable to understand, our hearts already knew.

At 28 weeks, our amazement at the early display of design inside me has only increased with the results of each sonogram. Below are images taken yesterday, two of which are regular ultrasound images and two of them are 3D. Although the shots are not very clear (Baby B’s head obscures Baby A’s face and Baby B is hiding his face with his hand), we were thrilled to have the opportunity to have a closer peek at the kids and discover they have doubled in size (2 lb 11 oz and 2 lb. 7 oz., respectively).

In the same century that Charles Darwin was putting the finishing touches on his macroevolutionary theory, Paley identified the Designer of his teleological argument as the God of the Bible. I wonder if the outcome of science would have been different had Darwin had a sonogram machine? To be sure, Darwin knew nothing about genetic information theory that we know today (the fact that DNA carries intelligently coded information), but both men sought answers to the origin of life - one man classifying humanity as a highly successful animal and the other identifying humanity with a divine destiny.

And whether you believe in an Ultimate Reality or naturalism, sonograms have one big fat unintentional implication. Science confirms that human life demonstrates a beautiful design in its initial stage - whether it is a collection of intelligently-coded cells at conception, blinking lights at 6 weeks, or fully-formed babies with fully-developed personalities at 12 weeks. Life begins at the earliest stage possible and in the most specific and complex way. Surely both Paley and Darwin would have loved to have seen that.