Posted on 07/31/2009 8:32:29 AM PDT by rhema
"Something's wrong with this baby," my ultrasound technician told me. She had just scanned Mrs. Jones (a fictitious name) at 20 weeks and went on to describe her findings, findings that surely meant little chance of survival for that baby. As I later spoke with Mrs. Jones to relay the findings, she wept. I arranged an appointment with a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist.
The next day I received an urgent call from my patient. Through more tears, she described her visit in which the MFM doctor confirmed the grim prognosis. The baby would die, probably within a week or two. The MFM insisted on scheduling her for an abortion in three days. "Do I have to have an abortion?" she asked. I promised to call the MFM and assured her she did not have to abort.
When I called the MFM specialist, she immediately rattled off the severe abnormalities found, the fetus' incompatibility with life, and the scheduling of an abortion. I interrupted: "If the baby is going to die anyway, why do you want to kill it before it dies a natural death?" There was silence on the other end. I went on to explain that the parents would not have to deal with the guilt of killing their child if it died naturally. There was a pause, then, "I hadn't thought of that," she said.
So much for nondirective counseling, as it is called. Sadly, I've had several similar experiences in my 27 years of practice.
My patient's baby did die in utero about two weeks later. She labored and delivered a stillborn baby with all the grief and pain associated with it. She was thankful, however, for the love and support of family and friends during the process and the knowledge that she had not contributed to her baby's death.
When a pregnant woman clearly understands the primary purpose of genetic testing—abortion of a handicapped baby—a majority decline testing in my experience and almost all pro-life women decline testing. Nearly every problem now identified by prenatal diagnosis has no treatment. David Grimes, a well-known OB/GYN, professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and a strong abortion advocate, spoke truth in a rare moment of public clarity when he said prenatal diagnosis would disappear if abortion were not available.
But what happens when a routine 20-week ultrasound shows a baby with a profound abnormality, possibly an abnormality that will certainly result in the death of the baby prior to or shortly after birth? Or when a genetic test is done and shows similar results and the patient then decides against abortion? What then?
Enter perinatal hospice, the brain child of Byron Calhoun, a pro-life maternal-fetal medicine specialist.
Perinatal hospice honors life. The woman carrying the disabled child receives extensive counseling and birth preparation involving the combined efforts of MFM specialists, OB/GYN doctors, neonatologists, anesthesia services, chaplains, pastors, social workers, labor and delivery nurses, and neonatal nurses. She carries the pregnancy to its natural conclusion. She and her husband are allowed to grieve and prepare for the short time God may grant them with their child while their baby lives inside or outside the womb. Such a process obviates the grief caused by elective abortion, killing the child before it could be born.
Doctors and nurses often withdraw from hopeless patients, and surely a baby with a lethal anomaly is a hopeless patient. Add to that, as my example above illustrates, the concept of natural death for babies with lethal anomalies perplexes those who advocate abortion and prenatal eugenics. For them, not terminating a hopeless pregnancy is stupid.
Perinatal hospice, on the other hand, allows natural grief and separation with the support of the medical community. Calhoun says parental responses have been overwhelmingly positive. "These parents are allowed the bittersweetness of their child's birth and too-soon departure. Grief lessens as time passes and the parents rest secure in the knowledge that they shared in their baby's life and treated the child with the same dignity as a terminally-ill adult."
Even those mystified by a patient choosing life have recognized the value of Calhoun's idea, as perinatal hospice programs now dot the nation. But this mystery is no mystery to us. As Job 1:21 states, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
—Matt Anderson is a practicing OB/GYN in Minnesota and blogs regularly at mdviews.wordpress.com.
Our granddaughter was born 8 weeks premature...and weighed 2lb 2oz...
...We are very thankful for her.
What a beautiful woman and heart-warming testimony! God bless you two and your marriage from the bottom of my heart!
And doesn’t it also give one pause when these nurses are supposed to be in the life-saving profession?
What an absolutely beautiful lady. You can see the goodness radiate from her face. That’s God.
You’re welcome. It’s something I’ll never forget.
My niece’s child was diagnosed with severe abnormalities and she was pushed to abort and 81/2 months! She didn’t, he was born, lived a few days and died a natural death. It was sad but not as sad as murder.
We had no doubt they meant abortion, based on their eye rolling and knowing glances.
Our grandson was born with a spinal defect. Did I tell you he’s perfect in our eyes? He’ll need a little help walking. Big deal.
Thank you all for your kind comments.
There is a hard core group of folks out there that have a lot invested in teaching people that there shouldn’t be any guilt involved in abortion, ie, killing a baby.
But everyone knows it is the latter, and that guilt WILL be there, and that it will have consequences.
Yes, that is a possibility — that is why I had an ultrasound afterward, and they determined that all had been passed.
What I was trying to stress is that it is not *always* necessary — that nature *can* take its course.
I was taken aback by how callously all the medical workers talked about a D&C, as if it were not a big deal. They never acknowledged that the procedure in and of itself can — just like an abortion — cause irreparable harm.
I understand there are cases like yours, and I’m glad you’re ok. Women do need to be more informed about what is actually happening to their bodies — most importantly, within the sanctity of their wombs.
From the way the story reads, it sounds like the ‘Hospice’ is for the parents of the unborn child; more of a support group. They’ve been told the situation is hopeless for the baby, and they could probably us some support in their decision to go ahead and carry the baby to term.
Oh, I have no problem with having the aborted baby baptized. Why deny the Sacrament to the baby because of the sin of the parents? THEY are the ones who will have to ask for forgiveness of God for the sin of killing their baby.
BS. There are no *cures* for the conditions that may be diagnosed by prenatal genetic and non-genetic testing, but there are some treatments and advance preparations that can help lessen the severity of the effects of the disorder, and more are on the way. Some of the treatments already available are life-saving.
Example: A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 7, 1991 indicates that babies with spina bifida may be much less likely to be paralyzed if delivered by C-section. 16% of the babies in the study who were delivered vaginally or by C-section after labor had begun had no paralysis. But 45% of the babies delivered early by C-section had no or minimal paralysis. This may translate into whether or not children walk. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/misc-kids/pregnancy/screening/overview/
Here's link to a whole bunch of examples of in utero surgical treatments for non-genetic disorders: http://www.drplace.com/Fetal_medicine_treating_the_unborn_patient.16.21646.htm
Genetic metabolic disorders are increasingly being successfully treated in utero, by administering drugs to the mother and/or putting the mother on a special diet. Among the disorders already being treated are:
Phenylketonuria - putting the mother on a phenylalanine-restricted and tyrosine-supplemented diet reduces mental retardation and physical defects in the baby.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia - giving the mother dexamethasone helps to normalize the development of the fetal adrenal glands, and can prevent or minimize abnormal masculinization of female genitalia (in other words, prevent an XX baby girl from being born with a penis, scrotum, and no vagina).
Animal studies of prenatal treatment for Down Syndrome to prevent or minimize mental retardation are at an advanced stage, and showing great success, so this is probably going to be available fairly soon for women carrying fetuses with Down Syndrome.
That is interesting I didn’t even think one could do that. I lost a baby at 3 months and when it was discovered (via ultrasound) that the baby had died I was really not given any choice. I was under the impression from the way it was handled, that it would not be wise to do nothing. I am glad for one thing though which is I do have an ultrasound image from when the baby was still alive that I can cherish. But honestly I do not know that I could have gone through with a stillbirth and seen the baby. I was already heartbroken and I think it would have been too painful (physically and emotionally).
I think this is a wonderful caring solution. Bittersweet indeed but the right thing to do for all involved I think.
I have no problem providing compassionate services to help parents cope with the natural impending death of their newborn, particularly as an alternative to abortion.
Due to recent experiences, I see a very slippery slope to facilitating the death of a baby born with defects, who might well live with appropriate medical care.
There’s a similar slippery slope to facilitating the death of an older person when their situation is deemed “hopeless” by medical personnel. You can’t believe how sweet and compassionate the doctors and nurses were to my father as they tried to persuade him (in vain) to take the Schiavo option.
Hi nit! I haven’t read this thread so shouldn’t comment much as I don’t know what’s been said.
My daughter is a nurse for Hospice and it is considered ‘end of life’ care. They usually only help when a person is expected to live 6 weeks or less.
That person also has to sign a paper saying that NO lifesaving medical devices can be used to prolong life.
I would pray that any and all medical help would be provided to a baby if there was the slightest chance of saving its life!!
I take your point. Couldn’t get past the shamelessness of the parents in that story — a photo machine in the death room... uuuuuuggggghhhhh.
What I thought was extremely interesting was the sign that said Remains of BABY!
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