A mother who bravely defied her doctor’s advice to abort her baby girl celebrates her little miracle.

Michelle Bower and her husband, Michael, were urged to abort their baby after she was diagnosed with spina bifida. Luckily for baby Lacey Grace, her parents held on to her life and refused to give in to the defeatism of medical staff.

Mrs Bower, from Indiana in the United States, said: “We met with the doctor right after the scan and heard the words ‘neural tube defect’, ‘lemon-shaped head’ and ‘spina bifida’ to describe our daughter for the first time.

“We were at a complete and total loss. The tears didn’t stop flowing for a couple of days.”

Spina bifida means that the spinal canal of a baby does not close completely when developing, resulting in severe injuries to the nerves on the lower half of the body, which can lead to disability.

“I cried my eyes out”

Mrs Bower was referred to a specialist doctor who told her that Lacey Grace’s condition was severe, and strongly advised her to have an abortion.

“I cried my eyes out at the mention of it. Through my tears, I said, ‘That is not an option, I already love her!’”

After she insisted that she would proceed with the pregnancy, doctors carried out spinal surgery on Lacey Grace in the womb.

Happily, the surgery was a success. Lacey Grace was born on 20 July 2020.

Now, in 2022, little Lacey Grace is a lively child discovering the world. Although she is paralysed from the waist down, she has since learned to sit, roll and pull herself along the ground. She loves to climb.

Mrs Bower said: “Prior to birth, we were told she would have a ‘poor quality of life’. The doctor said there was a good chance she would never be able to eat, breathe, talk, stand or walk. She does more than that doctor ever imagined!”

Putting babies first

Michael Robinson, SPUC Executive Director (Public Affairs & Legal Services), said: “This is a moving story of a brave couple putting their unborn baby first.

“Society’s attitude towards the disabled is fundamentally flawed. We must all work hard to combat this dangerous prejudice and save more babies from anti-life defeatism and bias, very much evident within the medical community and broader society.

“In utero surgery can treat several foetal health conditions, including spina bifida, tumours and cerebral palsy. Sadly, and often inexplicably, many doctors still turn to abortion instead of medical treatment.

“More must be done to safeguard vulnerable parents from the misplaced urges of doctors and nurses to abort such lovely miracles as Lacey Grace.”