imagine how this little girl is going to feel when sheis old enough to understand

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\link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4826148.stm\abortion bid mom}
can this not be classed as child abuse?

I am amazed at the level of anger and outrage directed at this girl. She was 16 and pregnant, she had an abortion which was performed incorrectly and then subsequently had a c-section delivery for a child she did not want. None of this means she doesn't now love this child. And I am sure the whole event must have been horrific for her.

The comments from some posters on her needing to explain to her daughter that she 'killed' her sister are horrific and perhaps hint more at the posters view on abortion rather than this individual.

The morality and the legality of her case are questionable - although I do view the legal stance that each live birth is a blessing as slightly dubious and clearly not true in a number of cases - but not any more questionable than many other compensation claims that are reported and successful.

Hey, this society gives 16-year-olds adulthood. As a 16-year-old is legally recognised as an adult in the UK, she made an adult decision to have sex. This has consequences, some of which are unsavoury and long-term. An adult is an adult is an adult in terms of the law, be they 16 or 25.

She had an operation which never guaranteed her success, as NO operation does.

Therefore, I don't see why she should be paid compensation. The necessary checks were carried out. There's a record of that, this is why her case against them was thrown out originally.

Now she's trying to get money through the civil court.

Hope she doesn't get a bean.

As another poster said, 'If you don't want to go to Cardiff, don't get on the train.'

My mother had me when she was 16, and still, to this day, bitterly regrets it. Shae always used to go on about how she wished she'd had me aborted etc etc. Imagine how that poor little girl feels, becuase I can, and it's f*cking horrible.

The woman should have kept her mouth shut.

Damn, intergalac. WHY didn't she, and this other gal, give their baby up for adoption if they so didn't want them? I mean, at least the kid could have had a shot at growing up knowing what it is to be so wanted.

Me too gomez. But no contraception is 100% reliable! We all know that.

gomez i am extremely pro choice and i am pretty certain that if i had got pregnant at 16 i would have had an abortion.
However if that abortion had failed and i then decided to keep that child( as opposed to having her adopted by people who DID want her) then i would never let that child know the circumstances surrounding her conception and birth.I would certainly never allow her picture to be plastered all over the news accompanying an article on how she is the product of a failed abortion!!!!
When she made the decision to keep and bring up that child she accepted responsibility for that childs welfare-both physical and MENTAL. How this is going to affect this child ,god knows.

I was VERY lucky in that my Gran loved me to bits, and was, in effect, more of a mother to me. I have a much better relationship with my Mum now, but it's the worst thing in the world to know your own mother didn't want you. As it happens now, my mother's relationship with me is all based around presents and money etc, and she rarely offers me emotional and practical support. It has done one thing for me though, in that it has made me determined to be a bettr mum to my DS and DB. I telly my DS ebvereyday how much I love him, as I don't want him growing up thinking he wasn't wanted (he came as a bit of a shock, mind!!!!!!!)

I hope that poor child has a supportive and loving family aside from he mother.

absolutely shocking, a failed abortion well one anyway, and as others say, she sould have had that baby adopted, she had choices, yes she chose to keep the baby once born, so then she doesn't need to sue the hospital for the upbringing of the child as she chose to keep baby, if she didn't want the financial burden she could of have had baby adopted to a loving family that who dearly wants a child

At 16 legally an adult but how emtionally mature?

Contraception fails all the time, presuming of course she was using any but any conversation around her use or not of contraception is negated by the fact 2 doctors agreed that a termination was the correct course of medical treatment for her. Did they not then have a duty of care to ensure this procedure was undertaken correctly?

Whilst she may have signed the consent forms at 16 pregnant and about to undergo a termination, obviously she would have been thinking clearly and rationally at this point in the proceedings.

I don't agree with her case on the basis of loss of earnings but I don't think she deserves the vilification she has received on this thread either.

we're not vilifying her for having an abortion though. we are shocked that she could let all and sundry KNOW that the child she has was not wanted, and that if she her way would not be here.
That is what is shocking!
If she wanted to take this to court she could have done it without splashing her daughters name and picture all over the news.it's so wrong!

I'm not arguing with that gomez. I can see how she has probably been through a shitty time, as faced with the smae situation at 16, I probably would have done the same.

I just think it's a sad reflection on our society that she is prepared to emotionally damage her own daughter for the sake of 250 grand, which she probably won't get anyway.

Emotional maturity is subjective. I was more emotionally mature at 16 than some 40-year-old men I went out with. Personally I find this whole adulthood at 16 business entirely disagreeable and think it should be raised to 18 at the youngest.

As for thinking clearly and rationally when she signed consent forms for a termination, I don't see where she should be cut any slack, b/c there are a LOT of medical procedures where people have to sign consent forms when they're in a highly emotional state.

I also don't think she was failed in duty of care b/c she was assessed after her termination and even given a Depo injection as contraception.

She made a mistake. WE all make them. But some mistakes are greater than others. She chose to keep the child and fob off the greater part of its care onto her parents. Now she wants money?

She is also now 21 and still allowing the press to publish photos of herself and her child about her case.

That to me shows an extreme lack of consideration for the feelings of that child.

I think that's where some of vitriol on this thread is coming from.

agree expatin, not against her for the choice of the abortion, i'm not against anyones descions regarding abortion, but i'm against the way she has exploited her daughter, a letter of apology from the health board explaining how it failed etc would be suffice, but to keep the baby then sue for money is wrong, emotionally i think she was stable to make the descions she made, i was pregnant at 16 and i made my own choices, that were right for me

i agree, kids. i mean, she's PERMITTING this child's photo to appear in the press.

she's also 21 now.

But surely Tayside Health Board also made in a mistake in failing to 'notice' a second embryo or feteus (unsure at what point the termination was undertaken)? A fairly fundamental error in the course of a termination I would have thought.

nobody's arguing that the health authority made a mistake, but that doesn't make it right for her to make public the circumstances of her daughters birth.

think you're all being a bit harsh. Picture this, one possible scenario:

she was 16. pregnant, had an abortion, breathed a sigh or relief as perhaps had plans to go on to college, perhaps already had accepted a place to study medicine or the life and times of Elvis Presley. Felt devastated at having to have an abortion but promised herself she could have children later when she was in a secure relationship and when she wouldn't have to scrimp and save. Lo and behold a few months later she finds out she's still pregnant and she's back to square one with some added grief for the first abortion she went through. Her daughter is born, she adores the air she breathes but is angry that she can't give her daughter more as she had planned, angry at the hospital for putting her through such unneccessary pain, bitter that she will forever be on benefits rather than successful, well-educated and well-travelled as she'd planned.

Granted she should have kept her family anomymous and I do think she will lose, and the above is only one possible story to this, but I can see reasons why she's gone down this route.

I don't know anything about this case, but I do hate this stupid, simplistic argument that if someone finds themselves with a baby they didn't plan, it's a straightforward business to give that baby up for adoption to a more deserving person.

FGS, grow up. Adoption is not straightforward for anyone, child, birth parents or adoptive parents. It's arguably the most complex of any of the choices available in an unplanned/
unwanted pregnancy scenario and it shouldn't be perceived as a nice neat tying up the loose ends scenario. It drives me nuts when people think it's so simple.

they knew she was pregnant w/twins before the termination.

she was again scanned AFTER the termination and there was no foetus.

she was also given a Depo injection.

'bitter that she will forever be on benefits rather than successful, well-educated and well-travelled as she'd planned. '

That's insulting to EVERY single mother who has managed to not be on benefits or go off benefits.

It's possible.

Being a teen mum doesn't mean you have to be on benefits foever. In fact, it shouldn't mean that.

Besides, she could have given up the child for adoption.

No one forced her to keep it.

Her parents provided much of the care for the child. She would therefore have had time to finish school.

But Expat there quite clearly was another foetus after the termination so someone at that point made a mistake.

expat -that's not how I feel (am very successful single mother) and sorry if I offended. I was trying to project how I'd feel as a teenager if that happened to me and no I wouldn't have choosen to be a single mum and I would have hated if I'd being pregnant before I had finished college and had training and means to support my family.

I don't think she is doing the right thing by the way, I just think there has to be more to this than is reported.

this argument isn't about her decision to abort or to keep her kid or put it up for adoption.

she is a cow because she went to the papers and made her daughters name and face known!!!

I know alexsmum but it still drives me nuts when people say so simplistically "easy - she could give the baby up for adoption" in cases like this.

Adoption is not the easy option so many people appear to think it is.

eefs not on benefits forever, again she has choices to work or not to work, i was pregnant at 16 with my ds and i had choices, i understand what you are saying about her future and things and the doctor got it wrong with the abortion, i can't imagine what she went through, must have been horrible for her to find she was still expecting and then the guilt maybe she felt because the other twin was gone, did she have a scan before the op, because here before an abortion they scan you, surely a scan would have picked up two feotus

thanks for clearing that up expatin, thats amazing that that little girl survived at all, i had ds when i turned 17 and i'm not on benefits , i was for all of 6m again CHOICES