A Mother's Choice: Her Life or Her Baby's

A Mother's Choice: Her Life or Her Baby's

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Would you end a pregnancy to save your own life?

Four months pregnant, Lorraine Allard discovered she had cancer. Doctors recommended she terminate the pregnancy, but Allard was determined to give birth to her fourth child and first son, according to the Daily Mail. A few weeks later, he was born prematurely weighing 1lb 11oz. She immediately began chemotherapy, but two months later, Lorraine was gone.

Do you know what you would do given the same circumstances? The Moms around the office have differing opinions on what the right choice would be for them

One Mom said, "I would not do that. I have kids, and they need me. And that would be my first thought. It would not be better for them to add another child than to subtract a parent."

She's not alone. Other Moms agree.

"I'd opt for chemo. Saving Mom's life is probably the most important mission--when you consider the alternative, which is raising an orphan."

"I would have the treatment and terminate the pregnancy. It sounds awful, but I would have two other kids to think about. I couldn't in good conscience leave my other kids motherless (and leave my husband to deal with them all on his own) and reject treatment. I feel like that would be unforgivable in the eyes of my other two kids. Now, if it was stage 4 cancer, and there was a good chance I wouldn't make it anyway, I would probably go ahead and have the child and reject treatment. But if it looked like my odds would be fairly good, I would get chemo."

But one Mom says that she would do the same thing as Lorraine. "Four months pregnant, I would already be the baby's Mom. And as his/her Mom, I feel that it's my job to do everything I can to protect all of my children. I would try to find an alternative medicine and fight my hardest. But I couldn't choose my own life over the life of my child. I just couldn't."

What would you do?

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May she rest in peace. Opinions abound, I’m sure, but unless one is placed in such a position, who knows what you would do?

- Jimmy Ching

Posted 01/30/08 04:14 PM

I would give up anything to stay on this earth to raise the girls that I have. Even if that means having to sacrifice a pregnancy. It wouldn’t be easy but my girls need me and I have a responsibility to be here for them.

- Counselingmom

Posted 01/30/08 04:53 PM

I’m pretty sure that I would do anything to keep my baby alive. I believe that God is the giver and taker of life, and when it’s my time to go then it’s my time. :0) I have a great husband, great family surrounding us, and lots of great friends!! :0) I am fully confident that if anything happened to me, my children would be taken care of.

- Lesley

Posted 01/30/08 06:06 PM

May God Bless her soul. It is so true that unless you are put in the situation you cant say honestly what you would do. When you are the one in the heat of the moment you dont have the time or the privilige to stop and think… as strange as it may sound sometimes you dont even realize your in the moment your mind doesnt work as clear and in instances like this one your motherly instincts to save and protect your baby rise above any thoughts of your own safety. Being a mother of two and having been through a difficult misscarraige as well I can say that I would probably do the same thing it is even more difficult when you have other children but as mother you feel it is your job given by god to bear, nurture and protect your children and it is even harder to save yourself if it means to allow your child to die . So I say God Bless anyone put in that situation or one like it. It is the mindseat a mother would have it her living child was in front of a oncoming bus you dont hesitate to thrown yourself in deaths path to save your child. It doesnt matter how old the child or if you have seen them or not, you can feel them and it is a natural instinct. I hope no one not even myself would ever be put in that kinda dilema. She made a choice and it was niether wrong or right it was instinctual and out of sheer love. So rest her soul.

- misty

Posted 01/31/08 12:22 AM

My aunt was actually in a similar situation. She had a 4 year old and she was just a few months pregnant with twins when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery immediately, but decided to hold off on chemo until after the twins were born. They gave her steriods so that the babies could be delivered at 7 1/2 months, and she started chemo that same day. Fortunately, her story ended better and she is now a healthy, happy mother of three.

- Crystal

Posted 01/31/08 01:09 AM

I can’t say what I’d do in that situation, but I believe she did what was right for her herself and her family. God put that life inside of her for a reason, even though we don’t know the answer now, one day we will. I would hope that if I ever faced a diffucult situation like that, I would ask God what he would have me to do and trust Him for the answer. All things work out for His will!

- mother

Posted 02/05/08 04:21 PM

The thing is, by having an abortion, you are ending a life. You are not necessarily ending your own life by waiting to have treatment, even if the doctor says you will die without having treatment asap. Doctors can be wrong. And miracles happen every day. To the mothers who terminate and survive, mustn’t they wonder, “What if? What if I could have survived and still protected my child?” As unsettling as it may sound, the mother who died did the right thing. It was up to her to make the right choice to save her son’s life. It was up to God to decide her fate.

- mn mommy

Posted 03/19/08 11:37 AM

- mn mommy

Posted 03/19/08 11:39 AM

If put into this situation I would choose to give life to my child. Any life, even one without a mother, is better then dying before you ever get a chance to live. Would we even be having this conversation if the child was already born? “Mother throws herself in the way of moving car, saves daughter’s life.” She would be a hero! Strike that, she is a hero. Willing to give her life so that her child can live, and should be honored in memory as such. Amazing how little life is appreciated pre-birth.

- Anonymous

Posted 08/11/08 01:05 AM

I’m so terrified of being in this position now. The doctors are expecting my results to come back positive for cancer somewhere in my urinary tract. I’m a week away from five months and I don’t think the baby has a chance of survival if born early. I have two other children and I’d be lost if it comes to me making that decision.

- Alli

Posted 03/06/09 11:38 AM