= MY FRIEND'S CHILD MAY HAVE/HAS DISABILITY. =

Facing the prospect of a baby being born with an illness or disability is a daunting and scary time. Many women and men face a lot of pressure to abort their unborn child through messages about this being ‘fairer to the child’, ‘easier than seeing your baby suffer,’ or ‘the reasonable thing to do given the circumstances’.

It is important to realise that not all prenatal testing is 100% accurate. Incorrect diagnoses do occur.

There are support networks available for parents of children diagnosed with disabilities. It is helpful to access their support before the birth of the baby as well as after. You are also welcome to contact our helpline to talk through any concerns you have.

Those who oppose abortion can experience hostility and lack of support, sometimes even from the medical profession. Yet, there is information to suggest that women who have an abortion when their baby is diagnosed with a disability may have psychological problems after.

You can be supportive by:

Listening to all of their feelings, including grief about lost dreams and wishes. Avoid speaking negatively about life with a disability or treating the potential birth of a baby with disability as a tragedy. Helping them to find our more information about the disability. Be positive about living with disability and the value of all people.

Encourage them to consider making contact with families who are already caring for a child with disability / this will help them to think more realistically about the future and reclaim some of their dreams.

Helping them to find out about the services and supports that will be available to assist them.

“A choice is only possible if there are genuine alternatives...” - Germaine Greer, ‘The Whole Woman’, 1999

...it's free and confidential

MY FRIEND WANTS AN ABORTION | MY FRIEND'S BABY EXPECTED TO DIE
| MY FRIEND HAS HAD AN ABORTION |