{"id":305574,"date":"2024-01-30T06:45:54","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T12:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=305574"},"modified":"2024-01-26T23:51:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T05:51:48","slug":"abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/","title":{"rendered":"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, even at 19 when she fought through the fear and uncertainty of an unplanned pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor told Live Action News, \u201cI wanted to have my baby realizing I\u2019d have some struggles as a single mother. Abortion was never an option.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But 18 years later Connor\u2019s pro-life convictions would again be put to the test in a way she never expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her oldest child, a daughter, was 16 when Connor\u2019s second child was born. Another pregnancy soon followed, and Connor learned she was carrying twins. <\/span>\u201cBy this time, I was 37 years old, so the doctors wanted to do genetic testing,\u201d Connor said. \u201cI agreed so I could be prepared in case there was an issue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An unexpected diagnosis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Connor underwent a chorionic villus sampling (CVS) test, typically done between 10 and 12 weeks, where a sample of tissue is taken from the placenta to determine chromosomal abnormalities or other genetic disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Connor received a call informing her the test indicated there was a problem, she was stunned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor said, \u201cI was completely broadsided. It was as if everything around me was going black. I never thought I\u2019d get that call.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She learned she was carrying fraternal twins, a boy, and a girl. The boy, she was told, was typical; the girl, however, had an extra chromosome 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey thought it was Trisomy 18 which [they claimed] was not compatible with life,\u201d Connor said. \u201cThey talked to me about being a high risk for miscarriage for both babies, including my son.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctors recommended Connor get further testing but warned her if she didn\u2019t abort her daughter, she could put her healthy son\u2019s survival at risk as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor said, \u201cI was devastated to be in this position. I had always been pro-life. But the doctors told me that it was in the best interest of my son to schedule an induction for my daughter. And I didn\u2019t want to watch my baby die. I felt I had no other option, so I scheduled the appointment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, concerned family and friends encouraged Connor to reconsider her decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were worried I\u2019d regret aborting my daughter,\u201d Connor said. \u201cThat if I went through with the abortion, it would haunt me throughout my life, wondering what my baby would have been like.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ:<\/strong> Unfathomable number of preborn children killed by abortion since Roe v. Wade<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trusting in God\u2019s plan<\/b><\/p>\n

It was possible, Connor realized, that even if she had the induction, she could lose both babies. Or it was possible that doctors could even abort the \u201cwrong\u201d baby. As these terrifying thoughts swirled in her head, Connor made the most affirming choice she could: she put her faith in God, trusting Him with the outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor said, \u201cMy gut kept telling me I needed to trust in God\u2019s plan. I chose not to ‘reduce’ my pregnancy as advised. I wasn\u2019t going to make the decision which one of my babies was going to live or die. The doctors couldn\u2019t believe I would make such a decision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When a doctor told Connor that he couldn\u2019t guarantee she would carry her pregnancy to term but that he could guarantee her baby wouldn\u2019t be normal, she responded, \u201cWell, I can guarantee that you will no longer be my doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor sought out an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies and was forthright about her determination to carry both babies to term. <\/span>\u201cI made it clear I understood the risks involved and asked him if he could give both of my babies the same value, to which he agreed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As her due date approached, she grew excited to meet her daughter, delivering early at 34 weeks. Further testing determined her baby girl had Tetrasomy 18p, not Trisomy 18 as doctors previously believed. Doctors didn\u2019t know much about the disorder but told Connor her daughter would be challenged with physical and mental disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor said, \u201cShe didn\u2019t have the ability to nurse and was in the NICU for a while because she was below average weight, suffering from jaundice and needed some assistance with her breathing, but overall, she was relatively healthy. After the NICU, she went to a children\u2019s home where they worked diligently with her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At home, Connor was balancing a packed schedule with three other children while working a job. She wanted to learn all she could about Tetrasomy 18p.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor said, \u201cWhile doing research, I came across the Chromosome 18 registry where I was able to connect with other families who had children with the same genetic disorder. I wanted to know if she would have a shortened life span.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Connor saw pictures that families had posted of their now adult children with Tetrasomy 18p, she cried with relief knowing Shawna, too, could live well into adulthood. <\/span>\u201cFear can be so strong, like a panic attack; you feel at times like running away,\u201d Connor said. \u201cDespite the initial shock and grief, I don\u2019t regret having the genetic testing done; it gave me time to prepare myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, Connor has a great support system with other parents who have children with genetic disorders including Kurt Kondrich who inspired \u201cChloe\u2019s Law\u201d in Pennsylvania in honor of his daughter who has Down syndrome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Connor said, \u201cShawna is very active; she participates in track and field in the Special Olympics and has lots of friends. She does have intellectual and physical disabilities but is advanced despite her condition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shawna inspired her oldest sister to become a behavioral therapist who works with special needs children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much help available for parent-to-parent peer support groups where I\u2019ve learned so much,\u201d Connor said. \u201cI cannot imagine life without Shawna. She\u2019s joyful, funny, and loving. She is showered with much love from her siblings and those who know her. I\u2019ve never regretted bringing her into the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The DOJ put a pro-life grandmother in jail this Christmas for protesting the killing of preborn children. Please take 30-seconds to TELL CONGRESS: STOP THE DOJ FROM TARGETING PRO-LIFE AMERICANS.<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, even at 19 when she fought through the fear and uncertainty of an unplanned pregnancy. Connor told Live Action News, \u201cI wanted to have my baby realizing I\u2019d have some struggles as a single mother. Abortion was never an option.\u201d But 18 years later Connor\u2019s pro-life convictions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":305576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAfter considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, but those convictions were put to the test after a prenatal diagnosis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, but those convictions were put to the test after a prenatal diagnosis.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-30T12:45:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-27T05:51:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/karen-connor.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Bast\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Bast\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Bast\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf\"},\"headline\":\"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-30T12:45:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-27T05:51:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\"},\"wordCount\":1028,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Human Interest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\",\"name\":\"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-30T12:45:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-27T05:51:48+00:00\",\"description\":\"Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, but those convictions were put to the test after a prenatal diagnosis.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Live Action News\",\"description\":\"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Live Action\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"width\":701,\"height\":710,\"caption\":\"Live Action\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf\",\"name\":\"Lisa Bast\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lisa Bast\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/lisa-bast\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear","description":"Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, but those convictions were put to the test after a prenatal diagnosis.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear","og_description":"Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, but those convictions were put to the test after a prenatal diagnosis.","og_url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/","og_site_name":"Live Action News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","article_published_time":"2024-01-30T12:45:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-27T05:51:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":560,"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/karen-connor.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lisa Bast","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@liveaction","twitter_site":"@liveaction","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lisa Bast","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/"},"author":{"name":"Lisa Bast","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf"},"headline":"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear","datePublished":"2024-01-30T12:45:54+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-27T05:51:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/"},"wordCount":1028,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Human Interest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/","name":"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-01-30T12:45:54+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-27T05:51:48+00:00","description":"Karen Connor had always been a pro-life advocate, but those convictions were put to the test after a prenatal diagnosis.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-prenatal-diagnosis-choosing-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"After considering abortion for a prenatal diagnosis, she chose life over fear"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","name":"Live Action News","description":"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization","name":"Live Action","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","width":701,"height":710,"caption":"Live Action"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf","name":"Lisa Bast","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lisa Bast"},"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/lisa-bast\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305574"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/798"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305574"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305974,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305574\/revisions\/305974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}