{"id":307659,"date":"2024-02-25T11:11:55","date_gmt":"2024-02-25T17:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=307659"},"modified":"2024-02-23T23:50:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T05:50:40","slug":"couple-sues-idaho-law-aborting-non-fatal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/couple-sues-idaho-law-aborting-non-fatal\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple sues over Idaho’s pro-life law after aborting baby with non-fatal condition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CNN recently shared the <\/span>story<\/span><\/a> of a couple in Idaho who traveled to Portland, Oregon, for an abortion after their \u201cwanted\u201d preborn baby was <\/span>presumed<\/span><\/i> to have Turner syndrome, a non-life threatening condition that affects females. Girls and women with the condition can have a variety of symptoms, but can lead ‘normal’ lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jen and John Adkins told CNN that they want a big family and were excited to give their two-year-old son a sibling when they learned Jen was pregnant. CNN reports the couple was \u201coverjoyed\u201d about the pregnancy but at 12 weeks, their \u201cplans were shattered during a routine ultrasound.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

‘Very likely’ diagnosis of a condition that was not life-threatening<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as that ultrasound technician put that wand on my stomach and I saw the baby on the screen, I knew something was wrong,\u201d Jen said. \u201cI could just tell, \u2018that\u2019s a lot of fluid that\u2019s not supposed to be there.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They were told that it was \u201cvery likely,\u201d said CNN, that their daughter had Turner syndrome, in which one or part of one X chromosome is missing. While there is a high incidence of miscarriage, babies born with Turner syndrome can live a relatively normal life span and a normal life. <\/span>Mayo Clinic<\/span><\/a> states that Turner syndrome can cause heart abnormalities, kidney issues, and other treatable conditions. It can also cause specific physical features, and ovaries are often missing. Symptoms vary from person to person, with some girls not showing signs or symptoms until later in life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>NHS<\/span><\/a>, while there is no cure for Turner syndrome, girls and women with the condition can \u201clead a relatively normal and healthy life\u201d with a \u201cslightly reduced\u201d life expectancy of <\/span>mid-60s<\/span><\/a> to early-70s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, the couple\u2019s \u201cplans were shattered\u201d by the news that their daughter <\/span>might<\/span><\/i> have a non-terminal condition. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s normal to be heartbroken or angered by your child\u2019s diagnosis \u2013 but to say their \u201cplans were shattered\u201d points to the eugenic motives of legalized abortion. This baby <\/span>was wanted<\/span><\/i> by her parents when she was presumed \u201chealthy\u201d but as soon as there was an indication that she might have a health condition \u2014 even a survivable one \u2014\u00a0she was targeted for abortion. She no longer fit into her parents\u2019 \u201cplans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Abortion in the ‘cover of darkness’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the hope that existed for their daughter, the doctors told the couple that it was surprising Jen hadn\u2019t already miscarried and warned her that she likely would at any point. They told her, \u201cThe longer you stay pregnant, the more at risk you are of developing complications of your own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, doctors know that <\/span>every<\/span><\/i> pregnancy carries risks of complications and the further along <\/span>any<\/span><\/i> pregnancy progresses, the greater the risk of complications becomes because most complications occur <\/span>later<\/span><\/i> in pregnancy. Are pregnancy complications only worth the risk for babies who are deemed \u201chealthy” or “normal?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jen asked the doctor about her options, and she was told that abortion is not legal in Idaho.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was sent home to grieve and mourn and call around to see if we could get an [abortion] appointment out of state,\u201d said Jen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple ended up driving to Portland with the help of abortion access funds and money from family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor folks like us \u2014 you know, we\u2019re regular Americans,\u201d said John. \u201cWe don\u2019t have those kinds of readily available liquid funds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John said that as they drove to Oregon, they feared they were breaking the law. \u201cWe honestly felt like we were fleeing and had to do so under the cover of darkness,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a really, really bizarre feeling … like we\u2019re criminals that have to hide from the state.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

However, there is no law preventing adults from leaving Idaho to procure an abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

READ:<\/strong> Wife of GOP Senate candidate opens up about the abortion that \u2018wrecked her life\u2019<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

A ‘kit’ of their baby’s body<\/strong><\/p>\n

The abortion facility in Portland gave the couple \u201ca kit,\u201d said John. Inside was the \u201cproduct of conception\u201d or the remains of \u201cthis child that we wanted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CNN reported, \u201c… Jen emerged from the clinic with a box she needed to ship urgently. The clock was ticking; if they missed the FedEx cutoff … they wouldn\u2019t be able to get crucial test results that would affect the future of their family.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But a member of their family was in that box.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted absolute certainty that this was a fluke thing \u2026 that this wasn\u2019t some genetic condition that we created by our two genes mixing together,\u201d Jen said. \u201cWe felt it would be irresponsible of us to try again without trying to get as much information as we could.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John said, \u201cSo my memory is of walking into that first Walgreens and holding a brown paper bag that had our child in it and all the hopes and dreams and everything we wanted. It was just such an ugly, dehumanizing experience that we didn\u2019t need to have. It didn\u2019t need to be that way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The dehumanization of an innocent child<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is never mentioned in this story, however, is the dehumanization of this baby girl \u2014 which is the dehumanization of everyone<\/a><\/em> who is living<\/a> with Turner syndrome. Some well-known individuals who have the condition are American Olympic gymnast Missy Marlowe, actress Linda Hunt, and Dr. Catherine Ward Melver, a medical genetics doctor.<\/span><\/p>\n

CNN doesn’t mention what happened to the body of Jen and John’s daughter after the testing was complete, or what happened to her body during the abortion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During a D&C abortion, which is committed through 14 weeks of pregnancy, a suction catheter is inserted into the uterus and the baby is suctioned out, torn in pieces in the process. In a D&E abortion, which takes place after 14 weeks throughout the second trimester, a Sopher clamp is used to dismember the baby. First, her limbs are removed and after she has been decapitated, her skull is crushed. If she is still small, she may be delivered in larger pieces or even whole. But the violence carried out against her is inhumane and disturbing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, CNN wants its readers to give their sympathy to her parents. No one forced the couple to have an abortion or to ship their baby in a box to be tested. They chose this. Their daughter didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n