What does a parent do when they receive devastating news about their preborn child’s health? What if the child is not expected to survive birth or have a good quality of life? Is that child still valuable? Is abortion justified then? Many moms and dads face this heartbreaking moment with fear, grief, and confusion. 

Parents Are Given a Heartbreaking Diagnosis 

It is never easy for a parent to receive the news that their child has a diagnosis of any kind. Diagnoses range from conditions such as cleft palate, which is usually easy to repair surgically after birth, to terminal abnormalities like anencephaly. There is nothing like a parent receiving a diagnosis that their child won’t survive past birth or will live with fewer abilities than their peers. Often, parents are not offered reasons for hope by the experts making the diagnosis or are not informed about options like palliative care. Too often, parents feel that abortion is their best, or even only, option.  

Eric Scheidler, the executive director of Pro-Life Action League, says, “Parents are being urged to abort their children. There’s really not a fair presenting of options being offered to parents.”  

There are those who even say choosing to terminate the child in the womb with a known disease or disability is really “saving” them from a life of suffering. They claim it’s a courageous thing for a mother to have an abortion rather than give birth to her child, knowing that he or she may have a life of difficulty. This perspective sees abortion as an act of mercy in the face of anticipated hardship. 

Yet for many families, the reality of raising a child with a disability tells a different story. 

Jason Law, Director of Communications at Human Coalition, lights up every time he talks about his daughter with Down Syndrome. With an estimated 67–85% of these cases resulting in abortion, he can’t imagine not having Josie in his life. Sharing Josie’s story with the media outlet Townhall, Jason wrote: 

 “It is a horrifying and sobering statistic, all the more so because my wife and I have seen the joy that Josie has brought to our family of five. We have all benefited from her presence in so many unseen ways.” 

Parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis deserve to hear not just the negatives about their child’s diagnosis, but also stories of hope and love. 

Every Child’s Life Has Worth 

Healthcare providers don’t determine a child’s worth. Parents don’t determine a child’s worth. God determines our worth as humans. And he has. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Each child has a significant purpose and reason for being on this earth.  

Each human person is made in the image of God, and this is not changed by any diagnosis he or she may receive before or after birth.   

However, a culture of death dares to paint a different picture in which ultimately a child’s worth is not found in God. This leads many moms to think that abortion is the best option in the face of a devastating diagnosis.  

Texas mom Kate Cox is one of these women. She was pregnant with her baby girl when she discovered during an ultrasound that her child had Trisomy 18. This is a heartbreaking diagnosis where many babies die very early after birth. However, others have survived and have lived an enjoyable life.  

Since Texas has outlawed nearly all abortions, Cox sued the state, demanding a late-term abortion. Texas would not approve her request, leading her to travel out of state and tragically have her baby’s life ended elsewhere.  

However, Beverly Jacobson’s baby also received a Trisomy 18 diagnosis in the womb. She recalls receiving the news that “her baby was incompatible with life” and describes it as “the worse day of my life.” The suggested route to take? Abortion. All Beverly could see was a dark road that led to death at the end of her pregnancy. But then she became aware that there were thousands of babies, children, teens, and even adults living with Trisomy 18. She recalled,  

“My perspective shifted as I realized that maybe—just maybe—instead of preparing for our baby to die, I should be preparing for her to live.” 

She later stated, “This girl, this baby of mine, is worth just as much as any other human  being on earth. Because of her innate dignity, abortion was never an option for us. It certainly would not have taken away anyone’s suffering—hers or mine or my family’s.” 

Today, Beverly’s daughter Verity is thriving.  

Inspired by other families that had chosen life despite a Trisomy 18 diagnosis, Beverly chose to carry her daughter to full term and embrace life, even in the face of uncertainty. These stories remind us that every child’s life has worth, regardless of ability or prognosis. At Human Coalition, we believe no life is “incompatible” with God’s plan. Every mom deserves hope, and every child deserves a chance at life. 

Hold On to Hope 

Today, there are multiple genetic screenings for babies in utero throughout a woman’s pregnancy. These serve to monitor and diagnose birth defects and disabilities that a preborn baby may have. They can even identify conditions that can be treated while the baby is still in the womb! But out of fear of what that child’s future may be, parents can be misled into believing the lie that abortion is the best option for their children or for themselves to continue as they had envisioned.  

Parents should also be aware of the possibility of receiving an incorrect or false prenatal diagnosis. One prenatal screening, called NIPT, looks for abnormalities such as Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome), Trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome), and other rare diseases. Dr. Mary Norton, MD, says that although the test is extremely accurate for a couple of conditions, there are other extreme conditions for which the NIPT screening has produced “more false positives than true positives.” 

Yael Geller is a mom whose baby received a misdiagnosis. In her screening, she was told her baby might be missing part of a chromosome, thus raising many health concerns. That evening she told her husband, and they began to discuss the idea of abortion. She was tested again the next day, which revealed that the initial results were wrong. Months later she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  

God’s Good and Sovereign Control 

As humans, it is our natural tendency to want to control as much of our circumstances as we can. We’re so focused on the outcome, but God is so much more interested in the process and the journey he’s taking us on. He has a good plan for our lives, and he gives us peace, strength, and joy through it all—including through our hardships.  

It takes hope to persevere through adversity when parents receive a gut-wrenching diagnosis for their baby in the womb. But not one human should be disqualified from living. Rather, all should be celebrated and valued as image bearers. Every child is a gift, and hope is always made available through Christ. 

The God who gives life can be trusted with seeing it through to its natural end. We can trust God with our children’s diagnoses and trust that he will give the grace necessary to receive both the trials and joys that come with his or her life. 

This content is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical advice or a replacement for consultation with a healthcare provider.