There was once a king in a not so far away land whose name was Lomusag. He generally ruled on his whims and was surrounded by other men who pleased, teased and entertained him. One day while at leisure, the king was admiring how his kingdom was growing in size and population. His advisors chided him that perhaps he did not know women were making decisions to end pregnancies and therefore reducing the population in his kingdom. They laughed that the women were more powerful than he.
He boasted that he alone would be the one to determine who ends a pregnancy or not. The advisors thought this was wonderful and suggested that all the pregnant people in the Kingdom come before him to explain their intentions for their pregnancies.
The king’s wife Yishara was newly pregnant but quite ill. Of recent when the king called for her, she demurred only saying she felt ill.
The evening came when King Lomusag and his courtiers were holding their review and the pregnant women were brought forth. Yishara was summoned to join them. Knowing she could hide her pregnancy no longer but horribly sick, Queen Yishara fled. She would not endure the humiliation of asking permission for her own body, or worse, be denied. Lomusag’s advisors suggested he tell the kingdom she was disloyal and banished. So he did.
A search for a new queen began. Women from around the kingdom were brought before the king. A woman named Pura from one of the smaller towns was among the many recruited to go before the king. She thought herself infertile having had a medical issue early in life. When she was brought before the king, he was smitten with her kindness and beauty. He chose her not knowing she was infertile.
After a short time, Pura returned to her small town to see her doctor, Rafi, because she was afraid she might be in trouble since she was not pregnant. Rafi retrieved her eggs and they devise a plan to collect sperm from the king. He then created embryos, tested them, and found that half of them would result in a viable baby. Rafi transferred one of those embryos to Pura.
One day Nivar, a top advisor to the king who relished his proximity to power, was sent by the king to attend a national health symposium. Pura’s doctor was presenting about a test to promote healthy pregnancies. Nivar started texting and zoned in and out of the seminar. Rafi explained that some people carried a genetic anomaly that was fatal to a fetus. Women who had a pregnancy with this would most certainly experience a miscarriage as well as complications that could risk their future fertility and health. His procedures started with regulating a woman’s cycle with what were commonly called birth control pills. They were given other specific hormones, had their eggs retrieved, and the eggs were fertilized in a lab. Then the resulting embryos were tested to remove those with the anomaly. He only transferred the remaining embryos to the woman and the other pregnancies were now prevented.
Nivar tuned back in and interjected to ask, why was Rafi preventing pregnancies? The room went silent. Rafi replied that his job was to heal and to do no harm. This procedure would prevent fatal pregnancies, save women’s lives, and result in healthy children. The other embryos were discarded. Nivar was flustered by the silence and outraged by the last comment. Who was this Rafi to make such decisions? He swore revenge on him.
Nivar returned to King Lomusag and told him of a group of people who lived among them that did not follow the rule of the king. They practiced a birth control that sorted out babies they don’t want and killed them. Nivar suggested they should not be tolerated and he himself would destroy their work. The king agreed and allowed Nivar to handle it. So Nivar set forth a decree, in the name of the King, to put an end to any medical practice of “birth control” and punish anyone who utilized it.
Rafi found out of the plan. He went to the queen and begged her to intervene. Pura was early in her pregnancy, nervous, and afraid of confrontation. King Lomusag still did not know of her infertility or her pregnancy. She demurred. Perhaps this is why you were chosen to be the queen, Rafi suggested. Queen Pura agreed to intervene.
Queen Pura invited the king and his top advisor to a party and there she announced her pregnancy. The king was delighted. As the party winded down, the queen pulled King Lomusag aside and said that there was someone who would have prevented her pregnancy, someone who would stand in the way of her or anyone like her ever being able to have a child. King Lomusag was outraged and demanded to know who would do such a thing.
Queen Pura said it was Nivar and explained how she had received support to become pregnant. Her doctor helped countless people with reproductive health barriers to having children. Nivar’s duplicitous actions would punish her and the doctor that had given them the chance of parenthood. King Lomusag was enraged at Nivar. Would you have my queen not have children? Would you have me not have children? May your thighs fail and be cursed!
The king knew the “birth control” law had to stay as it was. However, he could pass another law to protect all “reproductive healthcare” including fertility treatment and he would delegate his decisive power to doctors and the pregnant people themselves. So he did.
Nivar was sent to a small town without healthcare and never had children. King Lomusag and Queen Pura gave birth to their daughter Briya several months later and went on to have two more children. Rafi was highly regarded by those building their families and the multitudes in the kingdom for he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all in need.
Anachrobama Purim
There was once a king in a not so far away land whose name was Lomusag. He generally ruled on his whims and was surrounded by other men who pleased, teased and entertained him. One day while at leisure, the king was admiring how his kingdom was growing in size and population. His advisors chided him that perhaps he did not know women were making decisions to end pregnancies and therefore reducing the population in his kingdom. They laughed that the women were more powerful than he.
He boasted that he alone would be the one to determine who ends a pregnancy or not. The advisors thought this was wonderful and suggested that all the pregnant people in the Kingdom come before him to explain their intentions for their pregnancies.
The king’s wife Yishara was newly pregnant but quite ill. Of recent when the king called for her, she demurred only saying she felt ill.
The evening came when King Lomusag and his courtiers were holding their review and the pregnant women were brought forth. Yishara was summoned to join them. Knowing she could hide her pregnancy no longer but horribly sick, Queen Yishara fled. She would not endure the humiliation of asking permission for her own body, or worse, be denied. Lomusag’s advisors suggested he tell the kingdom she was disloyal and banished. So he did.
A search for a new queen began. Women from around the kingdom were brought before the king. A woman named Pura from one of the smaller towns was among the many recruited to go before the king. She thought herself infertile having had a medical issue early in life. When she was brought before the king, he was smitten with her kindness and beauty. He chose her not knowing she was infertile.
After a short time, Pura returned to her small town to see her doctor, Rafi, because she was afraid she might be in trouble since she was not pregnant. Rafi retrieved her eggs and they devise a plan to collect sperm from the king. He then created embryos, tested them, and found that half of them would result in a viable baby. Rafi transferred one of those embryos to Pura.
One day Nivar, a top advisor to the king who relished his proximity to power, was sent by the king to attend a national health symposium. Pura’s doctor was presenting about a test to promote healthy pregnancies. Nivar started texting and zoned in and out of the seminar. Rafi explained that some people carried a genetic anomaly that was fatal to a fetus. Women who had a pregnancy with this would most certainly experience a miscarriage as well as complications that could risk their future fertility and health. His procedures started with regulating a woman’s cycle with what were commonly called birth control pills. They were given other specific hormones, had their eggs retrieved, and the eggs were fertilized in a lab. Then the resulting embryos were tested to remove those with the anomaly. He only transferred the remaining embryos to the woman and the other pregnancies were now prevented.
Nivar tuned back in and interjected to ask, why was Rafi preventing pregnancies? The room went silent. Rafi replied that his job was to heal and to do no harm. This procedure would prevent fatal pregnancies, save women’s lives, and result in healthy children. The other embryos were discarded. Nivar was flustered by the silence and outraged by the last comment. Who was this Rafi to make such decisions? He swore revenge on him.
Nivar returned to King Lomusag and told him of a group of people who lived among them that did not follow the rule of the king. They practiced a birth control that sorted out babies they don’t want and killed them. Nivar suggested they should not be tolerated and he himself would destroy their work. The king agreed and allowed Nivar to handle it. So Nivar set forth a decree, in the name of the King, to put an end to any medical practice of “birth control” and punish anyone who utilized it.
Rafi found out of the plan. He went to the queen and begged her to intervene. Pura was early in her pregnancy, nervous, and afraid of confrontation. King Lomusag still did not know of her infertility or her pregnancy. She demurred. Perhaps this is why you were chosen to be the queen, Rafi suggested. Queen Pura agreed to intervene.
Queen Pura invited the king and his top advisor to a party and there she announced her pregnancy. The king was delighted. As the party winded down, the queen pulled King Lomusag aside and said that there was someone who would have prevented her pregnancy, someone who would stand in the way of her or anyone like her ever being able to have a child. King Lomusag was outraged and demanded to know who would do such a thing.
Queen Pura said it was Nivar and explained how she had received support to become pregnant. Her doctor helped countless people with reproductive health barriers to having children. Nivar’s duplicitous actions would punish her and the doctor that had given them the chance of parenthood. King Lomusag was enraged at Nivar. Would you have my queen not have children? Would you have me not have children? May your thighs fail and be cursed!
The king knew the “birth control” law had to stay as it was. However, he could pass another law to protect all “reproductive healthcare” including fertility treatment and he would delegate his decisive power to doctors and the pregnant people themselves. So he did.
Nivar was sent to a small town without healthcare and never had children. King Lomusag and Queen Pura gave birth to their daughter Briya several months later and went on to have two more children. Rafi was highly regarded by those building their families and the multitudes in the kingdom for he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all in need.