It is devastating when any parent learns that
their preborn son or daughter has a serious
medical condition which will cause the child
to have certain challenges in life, or even
impact his or her ability to survive. As a
neonatologist, I personally care for many
patients whose parents were given this tragic
news.Sadly, many parents are told in these
situations that abortion is their only option
or their best option. But abortion is not
the only option when a preborn child is diagnosed
with a serious or lethal medical condition.
It is important to understand that unfortunately,
some babies are misdiagnosed in utero, or
have medical conditions whose long-term outcomes
are unclear at the moment of diagnosis. If
allowed to be born, some of these babies may
in fact turn out to be perfectly healthy if
they were misdiagnosed, and others may indeed
have some special needs, but ultimately live
a long and happy life. Medically speaking,
it can be very difficult to confidently predict
the long-term outcomes of many conditions
diagnosed in utero. It is a tragedy that some
parents have been offered an abortion based
off of a misdiagnosis. This is the story of
Suzanne Guy, who at 22 weeks pregnant was
told her baby had a chromosomal abnormality
incompatible with life and was encouraged
to have an abortion by three different physicians.
Suzanne refused, delivered her daughter at
26 weeks, and now her daughter, Rachel, is
21 years old. It is a tragedy that Rachel
might not have been here today if her mother
had made a decision based on a misdiagnosis.
In the case of a baby who is accurately diagnosed
with a lethal condition while still in the
womb, it is important to understand that these
are still human beings whose lives deserve
to be treated with the highest level of respect
and compassion, regardless of their medical
condition. Some will argue that children with
lethal diagnoses should be aborted in order
to prevent them from experiencing suffering.
This is neither medically supported nor honest.
Current medical science confirms that babies
as young as 20 weeks are capable of experiencing
pain. In a Dilation and Evacuation or D & E
abortion, babies are intentionally dismembered,
many while still alive, having their arms
and legs pulled off, and their bodies and
skulls crushed before being extracted from
the womb. In a 3rd Trimester Induction procedure,
a baby is given a lethal injection with a
large needle to the head or to the heart.
In the cases of babies diagnosed in utero
with a lethal condition, we should instead
be focusing our efforts on furthering the
field of neonatal palliative care, which provides
compassionate medical care for terminally
ill babies by alleviating any pain or discomfort
during the dying process. I have personally
cared for many babies born with lethal conditions.
We closely monitor these babies for any signs
of pain, and work with the parents to compassionately
treat their baby’s discomfort with pain
medications, oxygen, and other appropriate
measures as medically indicated. We tailor
our approach to supporting and caring for
these babies in a very personal way, depending
on their medical condition, in order to address
each infant and family’s needs.
We also provide support for the mothers of
such babies in every way possible. Mothers
are given the chance to hold, kiss, talk to,
and comfort their babies as they pass. We
support these women as they say goodbye to
their babies, and use our energy and expertise
to ensure that their experience is as peaceful
and honoring to both the parent and child
as possible.
Unfortunately, many mothers carrying babies
with lethal medical conditions have never
been offered or presented with the option
to pursue palliative care for their child.
If we are truly advocating to empower and
educate women, we need to be openly and honestly
discussing this compassionate and life-honoring
option with the women carrying these children.
All babies deserve to be born, shown compassion,
treated with dignity and respect, and supported,
even through the dying process. A society’s
morality and ethics is only as strong as its
treatment of its sickest, smallest and most
vulnerable members.
