A woman advised to have an abortion when her baby was diagnosed with a severe disability has given birth to a healthy little boy.
After a routine 12-week scan at Rochdale Infirmary, doctors told Dawn Lewis that her baby had Edward’s syndrome.
It is a severe chromosomal disorder which causes serious heart and kidney problems. Most sufferers do not survive beyond 12 months.
“The doctor told me he was 99 per cent sure my baby had a chromosome 18 abnormality which was Edward’s syndrome,” Miss Lewis said.
“He just said ‘Baby will have no quality of life. The best advice I can give you would be to have a termination’.”
A midwife offered to book an appointment for the abortion.
However, Miss Lewis and her partner Jonathan Blemmings refused and sought a second opinion. Four days later further tests at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, found no evidence of the rare disorder.
Their son Deacon was born last September with no complications.
Miss Lewis said: “I was absolutely delighted to find my baby was healthy but also horrified that I could have had him aborted.
“I was shocked that I had been advised to have a termination without first being offered a second scan and further tests.
“Thankfully we decided to pursue a second opinion because if we hadn’t then Deacon may not have been here today.”
Miss Lewis said she wanted to warn other mothers about her experience: “Many people would have taken the doctors’ advice and never have known they had aborted a healthy child. It is only because of our determination to have another child that our son is with us today.
“We are really shocked that the experts we trusted got this so badly wrong and we think it’s important to let other people know they don’t always get things right.”
“I went through the most stressful and upsetting time of my life when it should have been one of the happiest most exciting. The stress alone could have been enough to cause me to miscarry and the extra tests I had also have a risk of miscarriage.”
Miss Lewis has lodged an official complaint with Rochdale Infirmary and has been assured that a full investigation will be carried out.
