I’m preparing an article for ERI and thought I woudl share it here in two parts. Here is part 1 of 2 and I will welcome your feedback!

“It felt like a bomb dropped,” my daughter, Emily, recalled over lunch as she shared the circumstances and moments of terror that she and her husband, Josh, felt– the time they were given a pregnancy diagnosis of a potentially serious brain abnormality, which included being presented with the option to have an abortion.  

I too remember, and it’s one of a myriad of reasons the care and protection of unborn life is such a personal issue to me. 

The Brain Abnormality Diagnosis

At the 20-week ultrasound of Emily and Josh’s firstborn, a brain abnormality was discovered. Their doctor called it an absent septum pellucidum, a crossover in the brain where there shouldn’t be one. He went on to explain that this abnormality could have serious effects on his development, neurological status, and vision. Moreover, due to what they were potentially facing, they needed to schedule a fetal MRI to get a better image of his brain. 

Upon hearing this, thoughts raced through Emily’s mind like “Was this essential? Would our insurance cover it? Would it really give us more information about what he would be like or what we could be facing?”

My daughter continued, “It was our first child, and, at that point, there was no way anyone could know what the impact of his ‘abnormality’ would be. I tried to reach Josh but couldn’t, so I called you. I was just so scared.”

I did my best to comfort her, reminding her that whatever she and Josh were facing, we were all in this together. I knew that for months she had been so scared that she was going to miscarry. Honestly, she was in a pretty fragile state, given this fresh news as well as her previous miscarriages that had been attributed to a uterine anomaly. Thankfully, she was not facing the possibility of miscarriage this time, but now it was something else! My heart was heavy for her. 

In the days that followed, Emily and Josh wrestled with questions like, Would he be a preemie? If so, how early? Was he going to be ok? Would he be blind or seriously impaired in some other way? Again, there were so many unknowns, but the biggest was what to expect. 

The Option to Abort

At 22 weeks, Emily had her follow-up with maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) to see the specialist who had been tracking her pregnancies closely even prior to her first miscarriage. Not only had they identified a “uterine abnormality” during her first pregnancy, but with this pregnancy her cervix had begun shortening around 16 weeks. At that time, she had an ultrasound done to establish a baseline. She then had to follow with MFM every four weeks so they could track her cervix. 

Although Josh had been with Emily at most of her appointments, it was her mom– my wife, Pam, who was with her at the appointment where, given the brain abnormality, she was presented with the option to abort. Abortion is fully legal and protected in NJ, the state in which we live. NJ doesn’t restrict abortion based on gestational age, requires no parental involvement for minors, and protects out-of-state patients from legal action and extradition.

Regarding the conversation where abortion was presented as an option, Emily recalls, “I think our doctor felt like it was his obligation. As a medical professional myself, I could tell he was just doing his job, but I think he knew it wasn’t an option, and I made it clear that it wasn’t.” Pam recalls that the doctor presented the option of abortion with sensitivity and that “when Emily said ‘that’s not an option for us,’ she didn’t flinch and the doctor understood.” 

There was still a decision Emily and Josh needed to make, however, about whether or not to have a fetal MRI done, as this would hopefully give better detail as to the severity of the abnormality. 

As we finished up our Chick-fil-A, Emily recounted, “I always like to go with what my medical provider recommends, but I thought, ‘What difference will this make in the outcome or our son’s health?’ I was told it could provide a better idea of his needs at birth and thus give insight into where he should be delivered. Ironically, in the end, we went through with all the hoopla of having the fetal MRI done, and then, a week later, our son decided to make his grand entrance!”

Next week, we’ll look at Part 2 and Theodore John’s grand entrance!