A mother has spoken about how doctors told her to abort her unborn baby girl, considered unviable following the death of her healthier twin sister. She refused, and her daughter is now happy and thriving.
Elaine Avery was pregnant with monochorionic-diamniotic identical twins when her unborn baby girl, Aurelia, died following complications from sharing the same placenta with her sister, Aurora.
Following Aurelia’s death at 22 weeks gestation, doctors advised her grieving mother to abort Aurora.
“I wanted to hang onto the hope of my other baby, but I was advised to terminate [abort] the pregnancy entirely as there were too many issues present’, Elaine explains.
“But I didn’t want to face losing another child, so I went ahead and decided to carry her through to full-term.
“She seemed like she was fighting in there, so I fought with her.”
Aurora was born two weeks later through an emergency C-section at 24 weeks, the limit of what doctors consider survivable. While she remained in intensive care, her mother attended the funeral of Aurelia.
Despite being very sick, Aurora survived, and her mother is elated, stating: “[Aurora] radiates joy and resilience and the bond with her older brother is the source for laughter and happiness within the entire family.”
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “Aurora’s remarkable story of survival proves her doctors wrong. Too often, medical professionals turn to abortion as the first and only resort when a problem pregnancy arises, making parents feel more alone and without agency.
“Thankfully, for Aurora and her family, Elaine was determined to fight for her daughter and give her every chance to survive and thrive.
“Doctors should show the same determination, hope and urge to preserve life. Life matters, and parents should not be confronted with the horrible proposition of abortion, which feeds on fear and despair, especially when mothers and fathers are already vulnerable.”
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