“Our daughter should be here,” Carly Wesson said, who had an abortion at 14 weeks.
Wesson and her boyfriend, Carl Everson, were expecting their first child in 2019. Their joy soon turned to sadness when they were told their daughter might have a life-threatening diagnosis.
Soon they were given another test, which showed that their baby had a rare genetic condition called Patau’s Syndrome. This illness often leads to miscarriage, stillbirth, or the child passing away shortly after birth.
During counseling, the care consultant explained that their daughter would require extensive treatment if she even survived until birth.
“It’s the most impossible choice we’ve ever had to make. We thought the best option was to end the pregnancy because the baby was suffering,” Wesson admitted.
Although a more detailed test of the sample was scheduled to return in two weeks, the couple asked if it might show a different result. Their consultant assured them that it would not.
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Based on the advice of their medical team and their daughter’s diagnosis, which would be “incompatible with life,” the couple aborted their child.
However, about six weeks after, Wesson and Everson were asked to attend a routine follow-up meeting at their hospital.
“[The consultant] just walked in and the first thing she said was ‘I have got something to tell you, your results have changed’,” Carly Wesson recalled.
The second test showed their daughter, who the couple had nicknamed Ladybird, had no fetal abnormality.
When asked if their baby would have survived, Wesson says the doctor told them: “Well, you could have miscarried anyway.”
“That’s always stuck with me – it was almost malicious,” she highlighted.
An investigation found that the second test showed that “all 50 cells studied had a normal chromosome complement.” Not only that, but it officially declared the first test result – which the couple say was the basis on which they decided to end their baby’s life – had been a false positive.
This is “a well-recognized hazard of early CVS results”, the report said.
Sadly, this is not the first time a story like this has taken place and won’t be the last. The New York Times reported that fetal abnormality tests are wrong 60-90% of the time.
Even if the tests were accurate, every child—regardless of diagnosis—deserves a chance at Life. A person’s worth isn’t defined by their abilities or health but by their inherent dignity given by God. Abortion is not an act of compassion; it is a violent response when, instead, medical professionals should provide the best possible care for these precious babies.
When surveyed, 57% of moms and dads who received a severe diagnosis said healthcare workers told them that if their child survived, he or she would suffer greatly. Half were told their child would have brain damage and live a meaningless life. And 23% were warned that giving birth to their child with a disability would ruin their marriage or family.
No family should be told there is no hope. Instead, they should receive the support and resources they need to face this diagnosis with confidence. Organizations like Abel Speaks and local pregnancy resource centers offer life-affirming help for families in these situations, ensuring they are not alone.
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