{"id":315691,"date":"2024-07-18T10:46:37","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T15:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=315691"},"modified":"2024-07-17T17:29:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T22:29:13","slug":"refused-amniocentesis-doctor-midwife-pressured-abort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/refused-amniocentesis-doctor-midwife-pressured-abort\/","title":{"rendered":"Even when she refused an amniocentesis, her doctor and midwife pressured her to abort"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Raised in a secular, ‘pro-choice’ home, Tina Whittington came to faith in Jesus Christ in middle school. At 16, she became a pro-life advocate after seeing a presentation about abortion given by a youth pastor. She would one day rely on those pro-life convictions when faced with an unexpected crisis during a pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whittington told Live Action News, \u201cAfter hearing that speech from the pastor, I referred to Scriptures and understood that God ordained human life as inherently valuable, regardless of the circumstances of one\u2019s birth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Given her family\u2019s pro-abortion proclivity, it\u2019s not surprising there were heated discussions around the topic of abortion. When a teenage boy was featured on the local news standing outside high schools holding signs depicting graphic portraits of aborted babies, it caused an uproar in Whittington\u2019s house.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents obviously didn\u2019t approve of what he was doing,\u201d Whittington said. \u201cThe kicker was that I had a date planned with this boy and had to tell my parents he\u2019d soon be showing up at our door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s first romantic excursion was spent praying in front of an abortion facility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whittington said, \u201cInterestingly, we ended up marrying and my dad eventually became pro-life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Years later, Whittington was expecting her fourth child, her first daughter. She had the same obstetrician that she had for the three previous pregnancies. Her pregnancy was progressing normally \u2013 or so she thought. Then she went for her 20-week ultrasound.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ultrasound technician whom I got to know was pro-life,\u201d Whittington said. \u201cShe wore a little label pin with baby footprints. During the ultrasound, she got quiet, which was unusual. She just told me that the doctor would come in to talk to me. I knew something was wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The doctor told Whittington that her baby showed two of the three \u201csoft\u201d markers they look for to identify Down syndrome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whittington said, \u201cShe had a spot on her heart and one on her head. The doctor wanted me to schedule an amniocentesis to confirm the Down syndrome diagnosis. I refused the amniocentesis because I didn\u2019t have a need to know. I was going to give my daughter life regardless.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, Whittington was concerned about the complications \u2014 like miscarriage or infection \u2014 that could occur because of an invasive procedure. <\/span>When she refused to have the amniocentesis, her doctor segregated her from her husband, telling her she needed to sign papers rejecting the amniocentesis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whittington said, \u201cI understand medical professionals want to protect themselves from frivolous lawsuits and may want to ensure I\u2019m not being influenced by my husband, but I felt it was a blatant attempt to get me in a vulnerable situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the room, her doctor and midwife told her they just wanted to have an \u201chonest conversation\u201d with her in the name of transparency.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me that under Virginia law, I only had two weeks left to have an abortion,\u201d Whittington said. \u201cI was astounded. Even in the face of my refusal to confirm the Down syndrome diagnosis, I was being pressured to terminate my pregnancy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When she stood her ground, Whittington\u2019s doctor told her he couldn\u2019t guarantee she\u2019d have a healthy baby. <\/span>Whittington responded, \u201cYou\u2019re not God, so you can\u2019t guarantee anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Women need support when they choose life<\/b><\/p>\n

Sharing her experience on social media, Whittington was stunned at how many women came forward, telling of their encounters with medical professionals seemingly eager to convince women to end their pregnancies when Down syndrome was suspected or confirmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel that had I been a single woman, I could have easily been coerced into aborting my child,\u201d Whittington said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps what saddened Whittington the most was that she wasn\u2019t offered any assistance or resources to help mothers who chose life for their babies with Down syndrome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was as if they were washing their hands,” Whittington said. “<\/span>They couldn\u2019t be bothered to discuss with me what to expect should she have Down syndrome and how I could effectively care for this child.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For the next 18 weeks, Whittington prepared to meet her daughter. She scoured the Internet on her own, seeking information on Down syndrome. <\/span>\u201cI prayed for my baby\u2019s health, but wanted to be ready in case,\u201d Whittington said. \u201cIt was like I was merging faith with reality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0But her daughter, Esther, was born without any disability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the person in authority that you have given trust for your health, suggests abortion, it carries some weight,\u201d Whittington said. \u201cI was disappointed to be put in that position. At 20 weeks, you\u2019re visibly pregnant and you can feel the movements of your baby. I could have aborted a perfectly healthy baby.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, Whittington says that for most women, the trauma caused by abortion is soul wrenching.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re already imagining a life with your baby at this point. It\u2019s so harmful to suggest that abortion is the only option to women who are depending on their doctors to steer them in the right direction,” Whittington said. “Women need to be supported when they choose life, regardless of any diagnosis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She added, \u201cYou never regret choosing life for your child. I recall the quote on the office door of the well-known pro-life warrior Jim Sedlak, founder of STOPP: \u2018When we need a miracle, God sends a baby,\u2019 and I think about what a treasure life is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The DOJ put a pro-life grandmother in jail 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":"

Raised in a secular, ‘pro-choice’ home, Tina Whittington came to faith in Jesus Christ in middle school. At 16, she became a pro-life advocate after seeing a presentation about abortion given by a youth pastor. She would one day rely on those pro-life convictions when faced with an unexpected crisis during a pregnancy. Whittington told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":315692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nEven when she refused an amniocentesis, her doctor and midwife pressured her to abort<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When she said no to amniocentesis, her doctor separated her from her husband in "a blatant attempt to get me in a vulnerable situation."\" \/>\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\/refused-amniocentesis-doctor-midwife-pressured-abort\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Even when she refused an amniocentesis, her doctor and 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