Couples aborted healthy babies after hospital misdiagnoses

Two couples have revealed they had abortions after their unborn children were misdiagnosed with illnesses.

They were in the care of doctors at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which is currently being examined by the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS after hundreds of serious failings in which babies died or were injured.

The parents had been advised that an abortion was the ‘compassionate response’ to life-limiting conditions.

Patau’s syndrome

Carly Wesson and her partner were told at a twelve week scan there was a high possibility their unborn baby would have Down’s syndrome.

But following a test for chromosomal conditions, they were told their daughter would have Patau’s syndrome, a condition where one in nine babies born alive survive to their first birthday.

They were waiting for the results of another scan, but were told the scan would not show a different outcome.

Carly said: “It’s the most impossible choice we’ve ever had to make. We thought the best option was to end the pregnancy because the baby was suffering.”

‘Almost malicious’

Six weeks later, doctors informed them of the results of the second scan, explaining “your results have changed”, and that their daughter had no chromosomal abnormality.

The couple asked if their child, whom they nicknamed ‘Ladybird’, would have survived, the doctor reportedly told them: “Well, you could have miscarried anyway.”

“That’s always stuck with me – it was almost malicious,” said Carly.

The Trust’s Chief Executive apologised to the couple, but acknowledged that “words will never change the outcome”.

Rushed decision

Another couple, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said they agreed to an abortion after a consultant at the Trust told them their baby was likely to have a life-limiting condition.

They were told the condition was genetic and that they would need to be tested to be sure. But after several weeks of waiting and no results, the couple were told the day before the usual abortion limit that they must decide within 24 hours whether or not to have an abortion.

Following the advice from their doctors, the family agreed to have an abortion, believing their child would die soon after being born, but when a post-mortem was carried out, it was revealed the baby did not have such a condition.

Life-saving scan

The mother told the BBC: “I kept calling the hospital every day asking for those test results, I had my very much-wanted baby kicking inside me.”

She continued: “They never explained we had this time pressure. Then I got a frantic call in the late afternoon one day telling me we had to decide by the following day to terminate or it would be too late. It was horrific.”

A third couple had also been advised their child had a serious genetic condition, and that their baby would likely die before being born.

They agreed to the abortion but on the day it was scheduled, they requested another scan, which revealed the baby was developing normally. They cancelled the procedure and their son is now a healthy nine-year-old.

God’s image

Institute Director Ciarán Kelly reflected: “This is another tragic reminder that, in addition to the very real risk of miscarriage from prenatal testing procedures, the results are prone to error.

“Wanted or unwanted, disabled or not, every unborn child is created in the image of God and deserving of life. Christians need to keep praying for a society that values every human life.”

Watch stories of families who chose life for their children.