Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis: L. E.
A prenatal diagnosis is often accompanied by the pressure to abort, leaving most parents feeling unsupported by the medical community and society at large. In our series “Stories of Prenatal Diagnosis,” we share testimonies of parents who received a diagnosis while pregnant and their personal experience in handling it. Today’s story is from “L.E.”
What conditions did your screening results indicate?
Down Syndrome.
Did it turn out to be the case that your child had these conditions?
No.
Please tell your story of your experience in your own words.
I was pregnant and living in Florida in 2019. Screenings were no surprise to me, as this was my fourth child. I didn’t mind screenings, because if there was any issue I’d love to know and prepare sooner rather than later. Also, I enjoyed the perk of knowing the gender of my child as soon as possible.
An early screening pinged for potential Down Syndrome. This was a little stressful, but I was going to be fine with the results. I just hoped that any associated issues like heart murmurs wouldn’t be too difficult to address. However, when I pressed for more information/further screenings to know what the needs of our child might be, the nurse said to me, “Yes, you’ll want to find out sooner rather than later so that you can have options.”
This made my stomach fall to my feet. Are you kidding me? Options? What that really means is abortion. I can’t remember how I pushed back, but it was something along the lines of, “No, I’d rather just find out any health issues sooner rather than later so we can be prepared.”
I immediately lost all faith in my health providers. I had never given any indication that I would be okay with abortion, and I was horrified and angry that they, the ones with all the power and knowledge in this situation, would be the ones to bring it up. If I had been vulnerable, or a single mother, or less informed, or just didn’t know the reality of abortion, I might have had a “What do they know that I don’t know? Maybe I should listen to them.” response.
After many many many tests and follow-up ultrasounds with a MFM, it turned out that the screening that indicated Down Syndrome was entirely due to a LAB ERROR. My child was in danger because someone misplaced a decimal, or added a zero.
What aspects, if any, did you like about the way your medical team handled the situation?
None, and I left that practice as soon as I possibly could.
What aspects, if any, did you dislike about the way your medical team handled the situation?
I was horrified that a medical provider was the one who suggested I kill my child if they had a completely survivable condition like Down Syndrome. Rather than wanting to help my child, they introduced the idea of ending his life. I had given no indication that I was in any way considering abortion, or even believed in abortion as an option at all.
What recommendations do you have for medical providers who are giving parents prenatal screening results?
Do not ever, ever, ever suggest an abortion. Even if providers are pro-abortion, they MUST be explicitly told or asked by the parents before discussing it. Providers have the knowledge and the upper hand. If they abort a healthy baby, it will be the fault of the providers who introduced the idea. And it’s just against the Hippocratic Oath to discard a baby and “try again”, rather than looking at supportive care first.
What recommendations do you have for parents who are receiving prenatal screening results?
Keep pushing for answers, get second opinions if you get a screening result that indicates something negative.
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