{"id":247353,"date":"2021-06-21T06:48:47","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T11:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=247353"},"modified":"2023-11-14T20:10:56","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T02:10:56","slug":"abortion-down-syndrome-refused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-down-syndrome-refused\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother refused abortion for son with Down syndrome. Now he is three and thriving"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Right to Life UK<\/a>) Koh Sui Tin, a mother from Singapore, has recently spoken out about her experience of having a son with Down syndrome, and the influence doctors have in whether a woman has an abortion after a doctor informs her that there is a high probability of the child being born with the condition.<\/p>\n

In an\u00a0open letter<\/a>\u00a0to The Straits Times, Tin recounted how she was told during the first trimester of her pregnancy that there was a \u201cvery high chance of my baby having a chromosomal abnormality.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said her doctor advised that she should have an abortion because of \u201call the challenges that my child would potentially have\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Against her doctor\u2019s advice, Tin did not have an abortion and her son Daniel is now three years old. Tin said:<\/p>\n

Three years into my journey of parenting a child with Down\u2019s syndrome, I want to say that I am so glad that I did not terminate the pregnancy. My son Daniel has brought unspeakable joy to my entire family.<\/em><\/p>\n

Acknowledging that raising a child with learning difficulties has its own unique challenges and that Daniel takes a little longer than other children to complete some activities, she said Daniel is nevertheless \u201cthriving and hitting his milestones despite his diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, I have since learnt that there are so many people with Down’s syndrome who have gone on to achieve significant accomplishments. Take, for example, Mr Chris Nikic, an American who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Tin also draws attention to the important role that doctors play in influencing a mother\u2019s decision about whether or not to have an abortion following a diagnosis of fetal disability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shudder to think of how many babies like Daniel were aborted because of the unbalanced information on Down syndrome that doctors often relay to parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than just focusing on the negatives and recommending abortion, perhaps doctors should also offer to connect parents with families that have a child with Down’s syndrome \u2013 people who really understand what it means to raise a child with Down’s syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressured to abort<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives, and the Society and College of Radiographers\u00a0admitted<\/a>\u00a0that women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, Edward\u2019s syndrome, or Patau\u2019s syndrome, are sometimes pressured to have an abortion by medical professionals.<\/p>\n

These medical bodies have released\u00a0guidelines<\/a>\u00a0that stress that the results of prenatal testing should be given and discussed in a \u201cnon-directive\u201d manner. This means that whether a test indicates that a baby has Down syndrome or not, no parent should feel pressured into a decision about whether or not to have an abortion.<\/p>\n

The guidelines note that some parents who decide they do not want an abortion were \u201cbeing asked repeatedly if they want further diagnostic tests or an abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[These parents] report having their decisions challenged and being pressured into changing their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guidelines go on to state: \u201cThis should not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParents should have the scope to change their minds, but not be pressured into doing so \u2013 their decisions should be accepted and respected at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Photo of living 10-week preborn baby is \u2018vile imagery,\u2019 says Northern Ireland politician<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Last month, University of Oxford Professor and social commentator, Richard Dawkins,\u00a0publicly claimed<\/a>\u00a0that it would be \u201cwise and sensible\u201d to abort babies who have Down\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n

Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said:<\/p>\n

Koh Sui Tin is a brave woman who resisted her doctor\u2019s advice that she should have an abortion. She rightly points out that doctors have such an impact in this area and they would better serve mothers and babies if they ceased scaremongering about the possibility that the baby might be born with Down\u2019s syndrome, and instead spent more time reassuring patients and introducing them to other parents of children with Down\u2019s syndrome.<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at Right to Life UK<\/a> and is reprinted here with permission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Right to Life UK) Koh Sui Tin, a mother from Singapore, has recently spoken out about her experience of having a son with Down syndrome, and the influence doctors have in whether a woman has an abortion after a doctor informs her that there is a high probability of the child being born with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":669,"featured_media":191975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077,9455,5,3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMother refused abortion for son with Down syndrome. Now he is three and thriving<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Doctors advised abortion due to a Down syndrome diagnosis. She refused. 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