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Woman gives birth to healthy son after defying doctors who told her to abort 'disabled' baby
The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | July 23, 2007

Posted on 07/23/2007 10:22:11 AM PDT by Stoat

Woman gives birth to healthy son after defying doctors who told her to abort 'disabled' baby

Last updated at 16:03pm on 23rd July 2007

A couple were advised by medical experts to abort their unborn child amid fears he would be severely disabled - but he was born perfectly healthy.

Heather O'Connor and Jamie Bramley went through months of turmoil after being told that scans suggested part of the baby's brain could be missing. But Jake, their first baby, arrived weighing a healthy 7lb 9oz - and with no defects.

Consultants at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester had recommended Heather should abort her child early in her pregnancy in March. But the couple asked for a second opinion and a professor at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield disagreed, saying he believed the child's brain was normal.

 

Heather O'Connor with her son Jake

St Mary's doctors continued to have serious concerns until April, when they said a further ultrasound scan had indicated the child was fine. However, in May, a St Mary's consultant again said they believed the baby's brain was abnormal.

Heather and Jamie decided against a further examination at Sheffield and decided to go ahead with the pregnancy.

Jamie, 24, and Heather, 19, of Heaton Chapel, Stockport, spoke of their anguish in the months before Jake's birth.

It started after a scan at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport suggested the child had swelling on the brain and Heather was referred to St Mary's.

Heather had a detailed scan there and doctors said the baby had brain swelling and might have a rare defect. "They said he may end up brain dead or severely disabled," said Jamie.

"They said the scan was 99 per cent reliable and recommended abortion. We were distraught. I asked for further investigations, but the doctor said he was rarely wrong.

"Heather was very distressed and we agreed to go to Sheffield for an MRI scan. The professor at Sheffield said that in his opinion, the baby may be fine. But then at St Mary's, a doctor said the pictures from Sheffield were inaccurate to him.

"We were more confident after seeing the expert at Sheffield, but because of St Mary's views, there was always an awful doubt in our minds."

Heather said: "You didn't know who to believe. But after our experience, maybe other people will not give up hope if something similar happens."

The Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs St Mary's, said: "The decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy because of a suspected abnormality is a highly individual one and we take great care to ensure patients are aware of all of the facts to allow them to make an informed decision."

The trust said it would 'not actively recommend or dissuade' patients from choosing a termination, but apologised if the family 'were given the impression that they were being advised to take this option'.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: abortion; britain; chooselife; england; goodnews; greatbritain; murder; murdermostfoul; nationalhealth; nhs; socialisedmedicine; socialism; uk; unitedkingdom
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They said the scan was 99 per cent reliable and recommended abortion. We were distraught. I asked for further investigations, but the doctor said he was rarely wrong

Hopefully this story might spur some to consider trusting God over the State-sanctioned, professional murderers.

1 posted on 07/23/2007 10:22:19 AM PDT by Stoat
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To: Stoat

Hillary Care coming soon to a hospital near you!........


2 posted on 07/23/2007 10:24:58 AM PDT by Red Badger (No wonder Mexico is so filthy. Everybody who does cleaning jobs is HERE!.......)
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To: Stoat

Reminds me of the stupid a$$hole nurse-midwife who told us our first son had an 80% chance of being born with Down Syndrome.


3 posted on 07/23/2007 10:26:56 AM PDT by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: Stoat
Scientific instruments and people who believe in scientific "consensus" are a dangerous combination.
4 posted on 07/23/2007 10:27:11 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam is a religion of peace, and Muslims reserve the right to kill anyone who says otherwise.)
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To: Stoat

Thanks for posting. God Bless the family.


5 posted on 07/23/2007 10:28:14 AM PDT by subterfuge (Today, Tolerance =greatest virtue;Hypocrisy=worst character defect; Discrimination =worst atrocity)
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To: Stoat
Consultants at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester had recommended Heather should abort her child early in her pregnancy

St. Mary's Hospital??? Recommending abortion????

6 posted on 07/23/2007 10:29:02 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: Stoat
Consultants at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester had recommended Heather should abort her child early in her pregnancy in March

Disgusting detail. Needs to be renamed 'Peter Sanger Hospital', not after the Blessed Mother.

7 posted on 07/23/2007 10:30:27 AM PDT by mbraynard (FDT: Less Leadership Experience than any president in US history)
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To: Red Badger

“Hillary Care coming soon to a hospital near you!........”

Yeah


8 posted on 07/23/2007 10:31:30 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker ( Hunter/Thompson/Thompson/Hunter in 08! "Read my lips....No new RINO's" !!)
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Thanks for posting this story. God Bless that lady for not giving up on her child.


9 posted on 07/23/2007 10:32:23 AM PDT by dellbabe68
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To: Red Badger

This is what will happen with Hillary Care.


10 posted on 07/23/2007 10:33:02 AM PDT by freekitty
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To: Stoat

A friend of mine was told her child would be a Down’s Syndrome child...the doc was wrong. What emotional turmoil he put that family through!!!


11 posted on 07/23/2007 10:33:48 AM PDT by I'm ALL Right! (THOMPSON '08)
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To: Red Badger
Hillary Care coming soon to a hospital near you!........

Perhaps my hope and trust is misplaced, but I have trouble believing that a majority of Americans would allow such a thing.  Even so, the Socialists never care about the majority and will continue trying to sneak Socialist "healthcare" in the back door by misrepresenting it and fooling people....eternal vigilance is essential.

12 posted on 07/23/2007 10:34:18 AM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

good place to bump this thread


13 posted on 07/23/2007 10:35:37 AM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq -- via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Stoat; EarthBound

Wonderful news!


14 posted on 07/23/2007 10:36:01 AM PDT by MacDorcha ("So what if smoking kills me when I'm 80? Who wants to live to 90 anyway?"- SouthPark)
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To: MEGoody

St. Mary of the Regrettably Mistaken Diagnosis. Or St. Mary of the Unvalued Fetus. Probably a secular humanist “St. Mary” . . .


15 posted on 07/23/2007 10:38:22 AM PDT by Greg F (<><)
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To: Stoat
I asked for further investigations, but the doctor said he was rarely wrong.

And how would he know? How many young mothers actually stand up to him to prove him wrong? My guess is that his proven wrong record just hit 100%.
16 posted on 07/23/2007 10:38:55 AM PDT by SpinnerWebb (Islam... if ya can't join 'em, beat 'em.)
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To: MacDorcha

“What emotional turmoil he put that family through!!!”

There ought to be legal recourse for these parents pain & emotional suffering. Time to put an end to these misguided, so-called medical experts, playing god type of advice.

Add this to mal-practice and it might stop.


17 posted on 07/23/2007 10:39:39 AM PDT by George from New England
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To: Stoat

Reminded me of a ‘B’ movie, Basket Case (1982),

Plot Outline: A young man carrying a big basket that contains his deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083624/


18 posted on 07/23/2007 10:41:14 AM PDT by Son House (>Every Democrat plan leaves Troops in Iraq, they need to answer for that.<)
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To: Stoat

What a cutie Jake is! God bless this family...and thank God they did the right thing and trusted in God that their baby would be OK.


19 posted on 07/23/2007 10:42:11 AM PDT by blinachka (Vechnaya Pamyat Daddy... xoxo)
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To: SpinnerWebb

How often is an autopsy performed on the aborted fetus to determine if the diagnosis was accurate?

My guess would be 0% of the time.


20 posted on 07/23/2007 10:44:25 AM PDT by Sherman Logan (It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.)
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