Every young couple starting to have a family should be told this. The genetic tests might only let you know your child is a carrier of something. Ultrasounds saying your child has a defect that is "incompatible with life" are sometimes WRONG. Every baby deserves to begin life, if G-d sends him here.
I have seen too many cases where a doctor wants to abort for silly reasons. Here are two from my SMALL circle of friends. One normal pregnancy was recommended aborted because the mother had a bone tumor that turned out to be benign. While true that she would have had to spend her pregnancy in some chronic pain and on crutches, her baby would have been born healthy. She aborted the baby on doctor's recommendation, in a fit of fear about her own mortality and the tumor.
The other mother needs your prayers today. She is a religious Christian mommy in the hospital tonight because in her uterus with her little baby girl (25 weeks along) is a subchorionic bleed (like a clot of blood keeping her bleeding), and very little amniotic fluid. We are all praying she makes it until the baby's lungs are developed enough to survive outside the womb. She now has a Christian doctor. The previous one told her she should abort.
This goes on ALL the time. People are told "Your baby will never live, never be normal, etc." I guess the doctors have to perform "CYA," but so many of those babies go on to become happy little children.
prayers for your friend and her baby
I am 23 weeks pregnant as of today. I had a subchorionic bleed that healed itself and my baby is doing perfectly well now. I bled for almost 5 weeks and was told that I ought to abort because the chances of me carrying to term were slim to none. Am looking forward to greeting baby number 7 in the spring. My prayers go out to your friend in the hopes that not only will she make it till the baby's lungs are developed but that she will heal and have a normal pregnancy from here on out.