doctor at desk looking at patient files
Jade Small
Jade Small
October 31, 2022 Â·  4 min read

Mom and Baby With Down Syndrome Mail Letter to Doctor Who Suggested Abortion

Every mother craves a pregnancy where everything goes according to plan. Although, in many cases that just isn’t possible. However, no matter what happens, those mothers only see love in their babies, no matter what. One mother gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome, and all she wanted was for her doctor to see how “perfect’ she was regardless. But, instead of love and compassion, the doctor recommended she terminate the pregnancy. Later, she wrote a letter to that doctor to tell how his reaction to her down syndrome baby made her feel.

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A post shared by Courtney Williams Baker (@bringing_up_emmy)

Perfect” Baby with Down syndrome

Courtney Williams Baker is the mother to Emersyn, a baby with Down syndrome. When Emersyn was conceived, she went to see her doctor for general pre-natal checkups. That’s when she was informed that her unborn baby had Down syndrome. Instead of the joyous appointment of listening to the baby’s heartbeat, she and her partner were filled with dread while the doctor recommended they terminate the pregnancy. A recommendation they refused.

Read: Mom Shares Honest ‘Review’ Of Her Baby With Down’s Syndrome, And 380K People Love It

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A post shared by Courtney Williams Baker (@bringing_up_emmy)

In 2016, two years after Emersyn was born, Courtney decided to write her doctor a letter. It started off talking about her friend who had also given birth to a baby with Down syndrome. “A friend recently told me of when her prenatal specialist would see her child during her sonograms, he would comment, ‘He’s perfect’,” wrote Courtney. “Once her son was born with Down syndrome, she visited that same doctor. He looked at her little boy and said, ‘I told you. He’s perfect’. Her story tore me apart. While I was so grateful for my friend’s experience, it filled me with such sorrow because of what I should have had.

You never told me the truth

Courtney expressed how she wished she was treated the same way as her friend’s doctor but her own recommended an abortion simply because of her unborn daughter’s condition. She wrote: “I wish you would have been that doctor. I came to you during the most difficult time in my life, I was terrified, anxious and in complete despair. I didn’t know the truth yet about my baby, and that’s what I desperately needed from you. But instead of support and encouragement, you suggested we terminate our child. I told you her name, and you asked us again if we understood how low our quality of life would be with a child with Down syndrome. You suggested we reconsider our decision to continue the pregnancy.

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A post shared by Courtney Williams Baker (@bringing_up_emmy)

The doctor’s reactions made it hard for Courtney to look forward to her appointments. “From that first visit, we dreaded our appointments,” she wrote. “The most difficult time in my life was made nearly unbearable because you never told me the truth. My child was perfect.

Read: Dad Refuses to Give Up Newborn Son with Down Syndrome When His Wife Walks Out on Him

Emersyn gave her life purpose

Courtney went on to say how Emersyn, her baby with Down syndrome, had given new meaning to her life. “You see, Emersyn has not only added to our quality of life, she’s touched the hearts of thousands. She’s given us a purpose and a joy that is impossible to express, and she’s given us bigger smiles, more laughter and sweeter kisses than we’ve ever known. She’s opened our eyes to true beauty and pure love.”

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A post shared by Courtney Williams Baker (@bringing_up_emmy)

In conclusion, she wishes that every mother realizes how perfect their baby is, regardless of anything their doctors say. “So, my prayer is that no other mommy will have to go through what I did,” wrote Courtney. “My prayer is that you, too, will now see true beauty and pure love with every sonogram. And my prayer is when you see that next baby with Down syndrome lovingly tucked in her mother’s womb, you will look at that mommy and see me then tell her the truth: “Your child is absolutely perfect.”

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A post shared by Courtney Williams Baker (@bringing_up_emmy)

Keep Reading: After the first shock, mom feels “immensely proud” of her daughter with Down syndrome

Sources

  1. Mom Of Girl With Down Syndrome Sends Letter To Doctor Who Suggested Abortion.CBS News. Jeffry Acevedo. June 8, 2016.
  2. Read the Letter a Mom Wrote to the Doctor Who Aggressively Suggested Aborting Her Baby With Down Syndrome.Cosmopolitan. Tess Koman. June 8, 2016.