She was excited to be pregnant at the age of 37 because she knew that the risks would be high. At 12 weeks, the detailed images showed that there were significant problems. There were two missing limbs and fluid in the brain. A tissue sample from the mother's amniotic fluid was used to confirm a diagnosis of trisomy 18 three weeks later.
One of the boys died in the womb, and the second fetus's chances of survival were diminishing. Four years before her daughter was born, she had suffered a stillbirth and hemorrhaging. If the fetus was carried to term, he would die shortly after birth.
The decision was made by the couple to end the pregnancy at 17 weeks. They wouldn't have that option today. In the US state of Oklahoma, where they lived at the time, a new law came into effect in April that banned abortions after the sixth week. If a pregnant woman's life is saved in a medical emergency, anyone who performs an abortion after the sixth week can be prosecuted.
It could soon be more widespread in the United States. According to a leaked opinion from the Supreme Court, the 1973 case that protects the right to abortion in the US could be overturned this summer, allowing each state to make and enforce its own laws on abortion. 26 states are likely to tighten the legal time limits for abortions or ban them altogether if the law is changed.
According to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, nine states have passed six-week bans but have yet to enforce them, with state courts individually deeming the laws in violation of the Supreme Court's decision. Texas is also banning six weeks. If the Supreme Court doesn't rule in favor of abortion, 13 states will have strict anti-abortion laws that will take effect immediately. There are currently blocked bans in some states.
The incomingtrigger laws vary from state to state. There are limited exceptions for rape or incest and to prevent death or serious injury of the patient, which are reasons why most prohibit medical or surgical abortions. Only a few states want to allow exceptions for babies with congenital conditions that have low chances of survival, while six states already explicitly prohibit abortions due to genetic conditions.
During the 10th and 13th week of a pregnant woman's pregnancies, genetic screening is usually carried out along with an abdominal exam. Fetal DNA can be found in the mother's blood and can be used to detect brain and spine problems. Doctors will use a small sample from theamniotic fluid or the uterus to confirm a diagnosis if a blood test shows a positive result. Down syndrome raises moral and ethical questions, but doctors also screen for conditions such as trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 that can lead to stillbirths, or the baby dying shortly after birth. One in every 5,000 newborns is diagnosed with trisomy 18, also known asEdwards syndrome, and one in 16,000 with trisomy 13, also known as Patau syndrome. Most of the newborns die within the first days or weeks due to heart problems and other life-limiting conditions. The first year is when between 5 and 10 percent survive.
If I could have just given birth and he died naturally, that would have been a choice for us. She says the knowledge that doctors would have tried to save the baby's life influenced her decision. There is no cure for the extra chromosome that causes Edwards syndrome, and only the symptoms of newborns can be treated.
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