Infant Mortality In Memphis, TN

Last night I was channel flipping and came upon a program on Nashville Public TV that was all news to me.   Where I've been, I don't know.

It was about the Infant Mortality in Memphis.   Now part of Memphis is VERY wealthy and the churches are VERY LARGE and one even has a bowling alley in it.  But...I had never seen this side of Memphis.

There is an old Dr. there that has developed one of the very best NeoNatal facilites in the country.   Their premature birth rate is staggering.  AND after looking on the Internet this morning to see what I could find out I learned that India has less Infant Mortality than Memphis.  

I watched as they took little wooden boxes out of the back of a truck and buried them in a mass grave.   A bull dozer covered up six or seven of these tiny little boxes at a time.  This is called Babyland Cemetary.   They then drive a small marker above each little box to mark where it is. 

THIS IS MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE people.    I want to swear, screem, but most of all cry like that would do any good.   Ted and I talked after the show was over about what could be done.   I'm not like the one rich white lady that goes in there and takes a girl and sees that she gets medical attention and her vitamins and takes her to the Dr. every month and was even there when the baby was born.   She says her friends and family fear for her life but she didn't seem too concerned and she sure stood out being a tall, white, blond woman.

Ted and I understand education is just NOT THERE for these families.   Most of them are single women, no job and no husband.   One had not had electricity or water for over a week and seven children.   At one point this lady had gone out to her light meter and by-passed it to get electricity.   When the light company saw this they removed the meter from her house.    Ted is an electrical engineer and he said this was a trick and very dangerous operation.   I wouldn't even have a clue about doing that.   THESE WOMEN ARE STRONG.

I realize legislation is the ONLY way any of this will change.   My church certainly isn't going to go to Memphis and try to make a difference and it doesn't look like many of their churches are either. 

I know, I'm on a soapbox but just had to get this off my chest.  

The one thing that keeps coming to mind is a saying I saw at a school in the Appalacian Mission trip I took with the youth a few years ago.   I cannot find it although I know it's here in my desk somewhere.  It more or less reads like this:

I want to ask God why He/She lets all these things happen but I'm afraid God will aske me the same thing.