Dec 28 2008
Should The Conjoined Twins’ Mother Have Had An Abortion?
It has been 3 days since the second of the British conjoined twins tragically lost her fight for survival. Hope and Faith Williams have captured the hearts of the nation and many mourn for them as well as offering sympathy to their parents, Aled and Laura Williams. Hope and Faith were undoubtedly aptly named and have definitely provided us all with something to think about. However, I am absolutely disgusted to see a debate raging about whether or not Laura Williams should have chosen to abort Hope and Faith in the early stages of her pregnancy. Not only is it wholly inappropriate given that the Williams family are grieving for their daughters but it is also inappropriate because the choice to have an abortion is nobody else’s business but theirs.
When Laura went for her 12 week scan, she was told that Hope and Faith were conjoined and stood a 25% chance of survival should they make it through the birth. Laura Williams was also informed that she may never have children if she chose to go ahead with the pregnancy. Despite the doctors’ warnings, the Williams’ decided to go ahead with the pregnancy and Hope and Faith were born 8 months later. They weighed up the advice of the doctors and their own thoughts on the matter and decided not to opt for an abortion on moral grounds. That was wholly their decision and they should neither be condemned or judged as a result of that. If Laura and Aled are anti-abortion then why should they be forced into one? They were warned that they may have disabled children and that their daughters may not even survive but they took that chance knowingly and willingly. That chance very nearly paid off as Faith was getting better at one stage. However, even in the wake of the deaths of Hope and Faith Williams, their parents maintain that they would not change a thing, so why now are the press so interested?
There are many reasons why women choose not to have abortions. They believe it is invasive, that it is murder, that it is immoral, that their children deserve a chance at life… That is every woman’s perogative. I am pro-choice rather than pro-life. I am not against abortion provided that it is not used as a form of contraception. I don’t think women should be guilted into keeping a baby that they neither want nor can look after because men believe it to be murder (and by men I mean those in government that keep trying to force through anti-abortion laws, those same men that will never have to make that choice). Neither do I think that a woman should be forced to keep a rapist’s baby. If she chooses to do so then that is entirely her choice. Every baby should be wanted and loved but no woman should be forced to keep a baby that is neither.
Having said that, I support the Williams’ decision to keep Hope and Faith. They should never be judged on the weight of that decision. The girls were their children, no matter what, and I defy any individual that has never been through such a horrible decision to categorically state what they would or would not have done had they been in their shoes. I know two people that have opted for abortions and cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to go through it, but both of my friends feel now that they made the right decision. I also know someone that was advised to have an abortion on health grounds and chose not to. She is now glad she made that decision too. I cannot say what I would have done in any of those situations but I would never judge my friends because they did or did not abort their babies.
There but for the grace of God go we all… It would be wise to stop judging them because you never know what the future has in store for you. Furthermore, every woman should be able to choose what to do with her body and I personally would hate to be told what to do by anyone else, especially those men that have no clue what every woman goes through when pregnant!
