{"id":330121,"date":"2025-04-24T12:45:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T17:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=330121"},"modified":"2025-04-22T20:27:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T01:27:06","slug":"parents-doctor-down-syndrome-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/parents-doctor-down-syndrome-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Norwegian parents speak out against pressure to abort children with Down syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As soon as Norwegian couple Jan and Lene Robertsen learned their preborn daughter Olivia had Down syndrome, they were offered an abortion.<\/p>\n

According to Verdinytt<\/a>, the Robertsens were happy to be expecting a baby and were having a routine check-up when an ultrasound detected a heart defect typically associated with Down syndrome. The couple chose to undergo an amniocentesis so they could get an official diagnosis and then prepare for their child’s needs at and after birth. Just a few days later, they received the diagnosis.<\/p>\n

“She has Down syndrome,” the doctor said, and then immediately added, “If you sign here, we will terminate the pregnancy.”<\/p>\n

The couple was furious. “We were completely shocked. We were already far along in the pregnancy, 20 weeks to be exact, and the first thing we were offered was to terminate her. It felt entirely wrong,” Lene said, while Jan added, “I was simply angry. This was not a message we should receive. It was never an option for us.”<\/p>\n