Serena and George were delighted to be pregnant again. With five children at home, they were ready for number six in the large family they’d always dreamed of.

At Serena’s standard obstetric ultrasound at 20 weeks, they got terrible news. The fetus had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a large opening between the abdomen and thorax that was preventing the lungs from developing. They had an amniocentesis that day and waited for the results. While waiting, they traveled to another city for a second opinion to consider fetal therapy to correct the large opening. During this time, the amniocentesis results came in showing a syndrome that causes severe developmental problems. Now that their unborn child had both severe physical and developmental problems, Serena knew they would have to say goodbye to the baby sometime. They decided to say “goodbye” now and prevent the baby from suffering.

I met them when Serena was 22 weeks and 2 days, offering condolences and support, and preparing her for the abortion procedure, which I did the next day. They did well and are focused on taking care of their children and preparing for another pregnancy someday.

If I worked in a state that bans abortion at 20 weeks [or 22 weeks], I would not have been able to help them say “goodbye” to their baby as they wanted.

Serena has insurance through the federal government, which only pays for abortion in narrow circumstances that do not include lethal fetal anomalies. In the middle of their grief and stress about the pregnancy, they also had to worry about how to pay the medical bills. Such policies lack compassion and create hardships for families.