{"id":335806,"date":"2025-08-09T10:49:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T15:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=335806"},"modified":"2025-08-08T15:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T20:09:10","slug":"aborted-birth-defect-risk-abusive-boyfriend-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/aborted-birth-defect-risk-abusive-boyfriend-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"She aborted due to birth defect risk and an abusive boyfriend, but found healing in the Lord"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ida Barrera suffered from acne and was taking Accutane to keep breakouts under control. She was told that while using the drug, she needed to prevent pregnancy because the risk of having a child with birth defects would be high. Barrera was dating someone at the time, and within six months of taking the drug, she became pregnant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrera felt as if she had no other option but abortion. Her OB\/GYN had warned her, and she didn\u2019t see a way out. She didn’t know about r<\/span>esearch showing<\/a> that, despite the high risk of birth defects associated with Accutane use, 53% to 64% of babies were born “healthy” after being exposed to varying amounts of isotretinoin, the generic name for Accutane.<\/p>\n

Barrera told Live Action News, \u201cWhen I discovered I was pregnant, I was at a crossroads. I didn\u2019t want to disappoint my parents, who had raised me in a loving Christian home, nor be faced with raising a child with birth defects, especially since the relationship with my boyfriend was a turbulent one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrera’s father had cautioned her about the boyfriend, who had been secluding her from family and friends. At first, he was verbally abusive, and then the abuse escalated. When told about the pregnancy, he urged Barrera to do what she ‘needed’ to do. Like her, he was fearful of having a child with disabilities. <\/span><\/p>\n

While Barrera had a circle of friends, none of them were Christian, nor did they step up to discourage her from aborting the baby.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking for a lifeline, but I didn\u2019t get one,\u201d Barrera said. \u201cI went to Planned Parenthood to get an ultrasound, but my boyfriend wasn\u2019t allowed in the room with me, so we left. Plus, we were living in Texas, a state that had banned abortion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A lonely, painful abortion pill experience<\/h2>\n

Barrera and her boyfriend turned to the internet to order the abortion pill. But she did want to have an ultrasound before she took it, so she went to another facility for the scan. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet despite seeing her baby\u2019s beating heart and getting an estimated due date, she chose to go ahead with taking the abortion pill.<\/span><\/p>\n

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