Did she really have a *choice*? *spoilers*

You are correct about that she was going to die anyways but I still think she made the right choice to save the world though.

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It seems to me that what matters is whether or not she believes. If she doesn't believe in God, then she wouldn't agree to it. She wouldn't think that she really had a choice---either the doctors would be able to save her or they wouldn't. By agreeing, she was saying that she believed.

A lot of people attend church, mosque, synagogue, whatever, and they say they believe. If given this choice, some of them wouldn't take it. The survival instinct is a strong one and some degree of doubt lingers. She'd already tried to kill herself so she wasn't afraid of dying per se, but if her baby were to survive, her motivation for life would be much stronger.

Some would say, "I don't believe you have the power to take my life or my baby's" and declined, thinking the doctors would save them both. I don't think she really died to save everyone else, though: she really did it for the baby. Everyone else was just a bonus.

Agreed. It would have made sense if she ended her pregnancy and thus sacrificed her baby to stop the apocalypse, instead of her giving up her life, a life that would have been doomed anyway.

You'lll learn to hate me/ But still call me baby/ OhLove/So call me by my name

You and the other posters seem to have forgotten one very important detail: she loved her baby. So for that reason alone, she sacrificed her life so her son would live.

Why do people insist on ignoring that detail?

I know this is five years later....but wth I'll reply anyway...I'm not sure if you are getting what the other posters are saying. Yes, "she sacrificed her life so her son would live."

But...what choice did she have? If she chose not to do that, her son would be stillborn, AND the world would end, so she would die anyway.

So, she chooses to sacrifice her life and in effect give life to her baby, she also 'saves' the world. But if she says "no" to the question "will you die for him?" - then the baby dies, and as the earthquakes were already going on during the birth, the whole world will die too, in short order (including her). She is going to die in either scenario, either in childbirth or quickly after, because it's the end of the world.

So, back to the OP's question...what choice did she really have? On paper it doesn't seem to be that hard of a decision.

However, almost everyone here is making the mistake of believing that all of this surrounded just her baby. I don't think that's the case. The last time Abby talks to David, he explains that the world will come to end, there is nothing that can be done. But she pleads with him, asking "what if one of the signs was stopped?" He says that would be impossible, it would require someone with hope, then reminds her of her suicidal past, indicating she herself is not a hopeful person. And she pleads "I want to try."

Now fast forward to the end, where she is about to give birth. She has the flashback to 2000 years ago once more, only this time she remembers everything. She denied David/Jesus 2000 years ago. But now she is being asked again..."will you die for him?" That's partially being asked about her son, but it's also being asked about Jesus/David.

It's not really fleshed out here, but in effect, Abby becomes the new David/Jesus. As Jesus died 2000 years ago to save the earth from God's wrath, Abby does the same here. Abby is actually 'the savior of the world,' or at least 'a savior of the world.' Of course, it's not stated openly, but that is what occurs at the climax. And David tells Avi to 'write it down so people know what happened here' just like his story was 'written down' 2000 years ago in the form of the gospels. It's a heretical statement to suggest that Abby is on par with Jesus (if you're a Christian), but its kinda cool nonetheless.