Skip to main content

We are urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly supporters) before the end of October to help save babies from abortion 365 days a year. Your first gift as a Life Defender today will be DOUBLED. Click here to make your monthly commitment.

Live Action LogoLive Action
Couple refused abortion of charlotte rose

Couple refuses abortion for daughter who would die at birth

Icon of a paper and pencilGuest Column·By Heather Hobbs

Couple refuses abortion for daughter who would die at birth

In December 2013, Jami Brooks was five months pregnant and abortion was the furthest thing from her mind.  However, following a prenatal diagnosis, that would be exactly what doctors would advise her to do.

During her 20-week ultrasound, Brooks and her husband Brian felt something wasn’t quite right when the technician would not allow them to see the monitor. During the meeting with the doctor, he stated that a test had come back positive for Spina Bifida proteins. The medical professionals believed their daughter had what’s called Gastroschisis, essentially a hole in the abdominal wall where her intestines were protruding through.

The couple anxiously waited ten days to meet with a local perinatologist. He informed them that their daughter had a non-genetic birth defect or a cluster of defects that are categorized together called Limb Body Wall Complex. Not only was their daughter’s abdominal wall completely undeveloped, which left her internal organs exposed, she also had a short umbilical cord that caused her little legs to kick back behind her.

“Think of like a Barbie doll with her legs bent backwards,” explained Brooks.

Charlotte Rose
Charlotte Rose

The perinatologist told them their daughter’s life had no value and that terminating would save her from suffering. He advised them that she would most likely be stillborn and that it was pointless to continue the pregnancy. However, the couple refused abortion, explaining that they were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that they didn’t believe in abortion.

Dear Reader,

Every day in America, more than 2,800 preborn babies lose their lives to abortion.

That number should break our hearts and move us to action.

Ending this tragedy requires daily commitment from people like you who refuse to stay silent.

Millions read Live Action News each month — imagine the impact if each of us took a stand for life 365 days a year.

Right now, we’re urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly donors) to join us before the end of October. And thanks to a generous $250,000 matching grant, your first monthly gift will be DOUBLED to help save lives and build a culture that protects the preborn.

Will you become one of the 500 today? Click here now to become a Live Action Life Defender and have your first gift doubled.

Together, we can end abortion and create a future where every child is cherished and every mother is supported.

They walked out disappointed with their visit and their doctor’s lack of understanding in their beliefs. They knew they wanted to carry their daughter for as long as they possibly could.

At 35 weeks gestation, Brooks delivered baby Charlotte Rose by Caesarean section. She was four pounds, 13 ounces.

“We had 20 beautiful minutes with her. She peacefully passed away in my husband’s arms,” said Brooks. “I do not regret a single moment of that pregnancy and I am so grateful for the time that we had with her.”

Little Charlotte’s time in this world was short; but to her parents, that time will forever be cherished. Choosing life for her daughter gave Brooks and her family that twenty minutes with a perfect daughter they otherwise would have never known.

Heather Hobbs is editor and blogger at Life Defenders.

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!

Read Next

Read NextA little girl walks along side an adult male. They hold hands as she glances up at him. Conceptual with space for copy.
Analysis

California law criticized for having potential to 'facilitate child trafficking'

Sheena Rodriguez

·

Spotlight Articles