What would you do if you were in this situation? Pregnant with cancer..?

Question

My cousin was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and about a week into radiation treatment, her and her husband found out they were pregnant. They had to continue with the treatment, and her doctor made it very clear that abortion was an option. The situation was, if the baby made it to 4 months without dying (only 20% chance, since a baby can't live without a thyroid) in her womb, the baby would be PERFECTLY fine if not the baby would die, or possibly be born deaf. Would you have chosen to abort or take the chances of the baby dying at 4 months, or being born deaf??

By the way, my cousins child was born yesterday, and passed the hearing test.

Answer 1

That's a tough one. I would have to go with not aborting. Mainly because i really don't like the idea of abortion, and every one deserves a life. It's worth the chance the baby might actually live and a deaf child is better than no child.

Either way, i would already be really attached to the baby, so i wuld just let the child be born.

Answer 2

a baby is a gift no matter what. id take whatever God gave me because thats the way its supposed to be.

Answer 3

If it were me, I would have kept the baby and hoped for the best.  Congrats to your cousin :)

Answer 4

Well of course they cannot play "God". They can only try to help you based on their medical expertise, experience and opinion. They are still only human and they can make mistakes and they can be wrong. With only a 20% chance of survival, the doctor merely told them their options.

It goes both ways though. Sometimes people (including babies) live when doctors think they wont and sometimes they die when doctors think they'll live.  

I think that would be a tough decision but I probably try to keep the baby if I were in those shoes. Although, I cant really say what I would do unless I WAS in those shoes.

Anyways, im happy to hear the baby made it and passed the hearing test. :]

Answer 5

I would NEVER abort a child.  No matter what the doctors told me.  Even if I found out my child had anencephaly (some or all of the cranial vault/brain missing) and would without a doubt die after birth.  I just don't have the heart.  Especially if there is even the SMALLEST like .0001% chance that my child could be perfectly fine!

Answer 6

I would never get an abortion. If my child wasn't meant to live, God would take him/her when it was time. It would be heartbreaking, but I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I killed my baby when there was a chance, no matter how small, that they would have made it. I would much rather have a deaf child than no child at all.

Answer 7

It appears to me that the doctor wasn't attempting to play god and just gave your cousin the facts, which she weighed and made her decision.  The odds worked out for her and now she had a beautiful baby girl.  

Answer 8

I would have kept the little one and prayed for a miracle!  Like you said doctors can't play god and I know a woman who was told her baby was pretty much going to be a vegetable and never live a normal life and that she should abort.  Well she didn't and her daughter is now a 3 year old perfectly normal and healthy little girl.

Answer 9

sounds liek she made a great choice then. glad all worked out well for them.

Answer 10

I would take the treatment and hope for the best with the baby.