There were two major news stories this week about courageous women who were pressured to abort, but in the face of criticism and legal action, both mothers chose life for the children that they were carrying.

Emma Robbins – mother of quadruplets

A UK mother of quadruplets was pressured to reduce her pregnancy to one or two babies when doctors revealed the rare case.

When Emma Robbins and her husband went in for a 10 week ultrasound, the sonographer revealed the shocking news that she was not carrying one baby, but four. Emma conceived the babies naturally, the odds for quadruplets was 750,000 to one.

Bombarding the Robbins with the risks of carrying four babies, the doctors told them that it would be wise to abort two or all of the babies. Emma and Martin knew that they could never do that. Emma recalled “Instinctively I clutched my bump. An overwhelming sense of love rushed through me and I told him that we were keeping all four of them.”

The boys turned one this month. Robbins doesn’t deny that caring for quadruplets is hard, but does it with love.

Crystal Kelley – carried baby with severe birth defects to term

Another courageous mother in the news this week was surrogate mother, carrying a child of another couple, Crystal Kelley. When the biological parents became aware that their baby had with a birth defect, they offered Crystal $10,000 to abort their baby.

Crystal Kelley originally decided to be a surrogate because she was in dire need for money, in addition to the fact that she wanted to help another family struggling with fertility issues. Crystal met the parents of the child that she was going to carry; they were very friendly and loving and offered her support and encouragement through her first five months of pregnancy. Things took a negative turm when Crystal went in for a routine ultrasound at 5 months, and the test showed that the baby she was carrying had severe birth defects, including a cleft lip and pallet, cyst in her brain, and heart defects.

The biological parents of the baby were intent on having the baby aborted, and even offered Crystal $10,000 to abort. They claimed that the more “humane” option would be to abort the baby. Crystal knew that a unique life was living inside her, and it would not be in the baby’s best interest to not give her a chance to live, even if she would not live a “normal life”.

To protect the baby that she was carrying, Crystal fled her home state, Connecticut to complete the pregnancy in Michigan. Under state laws in Connecticut, the biological parents have legal custody, while under Michigan law; the surrogate mother has legal custody of the baby. After much thought and deliberation, Crystal decided that it would not be prudent for her to keep the baby, and found a loving couple experienced in caring for children with special needs to adopt her. After legal battles with the baby’s biological parents, the adoptive parents gained full custody, with the agreement that the biological parents could remain in contact and know about the baby’s health.

The baby’s adoptive mother said “While it is true that (the baby) will face some life-long challenges, it is also true that it is also more than possible for her to have a wonderful life and to thrive.” She commented that “Baby S” is a little girl who will face a lot of challenges, but is full of joy! 

Self-Less Mothers

Both Crystal Kelley and Emma Robbins felt the life growing inside of them, and although the “experts” advised that it would be in everyone’s best interest to abort, they refused to deny their children life.

Crystal faced legal action by the parents of the child she was carrying, but was determined to bring the baby to full term, and went so far as to move 700 miles away from her home to ensure that the baby would be given life.

The Robbins were given three options by the doctors 1. terminate the pregnancy, 2. reduce the pregnancy to one or two babies, 3. carry the pregnancy to full term. Emma and Martin saw only one option – they would carry the pregnancy to full term and give all four of their children life. 

Both mothers were able to look past the difficult pregnancies that they were carrying, and through eyes of love saw that they were carrying precious lives full of potential and joy.