William Saletan on Slate has written a very informative article relating the facts surrounding the almost-abortion of Tim Tebow.

The story, apparently, is about Tim's birth in 1987, when his parents were missionaries in the Philippines. According to Pam's account in the Gainesville Sun, she contracted amoebic dysentery and went in a coma shortly before the pregnancy. To facilitate her recovery, she was given heavy-duty drugs. Afterward, doctors told her the fetus was damaged. They diagnosed her with placental abruption, a premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall. They predicted a stillbirth and recommended abortion.

But Pam was against abortion, and she had faith in God. She refused. Today, her reward is a healthy, athletic, stellar son. "I've always been very [pro-life] because that's the reason I'm here, because my mom was a very courageous woman," Tim told reporters last week. That's the prescribed moral of the story: Choose life. Dave Andrusko, the editor of National Right to Life News, puts it eloquently: "This amazing young man is able to share his many gifts because, and only because, Pam Tebow said no to abortion and yes to life."

Saletan goes on to relay some of the statistics surrounding placental abruption, and why doctors recommended an abortion in the first place: despite being a rather rare occurrence, placental abruption is responsible for as many as 6% of all maternal deaths, and has a perinatal fatality rate (infant death within 20 weeks of delivery) 10-20 times higher than that of regular pregnancies.

What Saletan misses, I think, is the reason for the proselytizing:

[Pam Tebow] and her son are with us today not just because of courage but because of luck.

If you asked Pam and Tim why they are here, however, its not just because of luck and courage. It is because of God. Pam prayed and prayed and not only did her baby survive, he went on to win the Heismann Trophy! The only way her story could have ended better is if he won the big game only to be crucified on the goal posts by a furious road crowd (perhaps after a game against Brandeis?)

When I look at the statistics for infant and maternal mortality following a placental abruption, I see a strong case for considering the (admittedly tragic) option of abortion. When the Tebows look at it, they see 6% of mothers who just didn't pray hard enough. If you argue (like the Tebows do) that you can be saved by prayer, the logical opposite is that those who didn't pray deserved to die.