New research published in Nature reveals that several factors can impact parents’ decision of whether to abort a child after receiving a prenatal diagnosis for a heart condition. Those factors include the child’s age at the time of diagnosis, and whether or not the parents received counseling from pediatric cardiology experts. Those who received counseling from specialists were much less likely to abort.
According to the study, previously existing information has shown that the severity of a heart condition diagnosed in a preborn child “significantly influences parental decisions concerning abortion.” Since that literature was compiled, however, advancements in technology have allowed for improved treatment options for heart conditions, increasing the odds of survival.
The researchers analyzed 73 pregnancies that involved a child with a fetal heart condition diagnosed before 22 weeks of gestation (20 weeks post-fertilization) in Japan, where preborn children are protected from abortion after 22 weeks. About half of those parents aborted their babies, with 36 carrying to term and 37 choosing to abort.
The preborn babies who were aborted received their diagnoses earlier in pregnancy on average than those who were not aborted. Those aborted were diagnosed at an average of 19.3 weeks, while those whose parents chose life were diagnosed at an average of 21 weeks.
In addition, researchers explained that the complexity of the fetal heart disease “did not have a significant influence on parental decisions regarding” abortion. They also noted that another study out of Taiwan “showed that prenatal counseling by a pediatric cardiologist following the diagnosis significantly decreased the likelihood of choosing abortion” (emphasis added).
They further explained, “Although we did not explicitly assess the impact of the facility level, our findings could be attributed to the presence of a specialized facility offering accurate diagnosis, detailed prognostic information, and comprehensive counseling services. These factors assist couples in coping with fetal disease, suggesting the importance of comprehensive support after prenatal diagnosis” (emphasis added).
via Nature.
Researchers also learned that a concurrent diagnosis of a genetic condition increases the likelihood of parents choosing abortion, but that the “complexity” of the disease “did not significantly influence” the decision to abort if the parents received comprehensive support. Yet, a diagnosis of a condition deemed to be “critical” did increase the likelihood of abortion.
“These results,” said the study, “suggest that parents decision-making regarding abortion may be influenced by earlier gestational age at diagnosis, the lethality of heart disease, and extracardiac or genetic abnormalities, but not its complexity if prenatal diagnosis and parental counseling are provided at a cardiovascular-specialized facility.” Researchers argue that these findings show how vital it is to provide continued comprehensive support and counseling to parents.
