A woman with mental age of 9 forced to have abortion

[Gingerkittykat]

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woman-abortion-court-of-protection-ruling-mentally-ill-a8970121.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0LrwkWGx-4dJtABJSuHLlzyLs7IArhgM_CQVisVjx4Asf3YoCeW4aKk1Y#Echobox=1561203238

I understand that this woman will not be able to care for a baby but cannot believe forcing her to have an abortion under any circumstances is appropriate, especially since she is already 22 weeks pregnant.

I am 100% pro choice, but this woman is having her choice taken away from her.

Just placen marking to see the responses to this as I am interested.

One the one hand I think it is barbaric but then if I think if the same thing happened to an actual 9 year old then would I feel differently...?

I think that's awful. And if a nine year old did get pregnant, it would still be their choice to go ahead with the pregnancy. There's no mandatory abortions below a certain age limit.

I think that, as she has a mental age of 9, she is not capable of making that choice in the first place @Gingerkittykat and that's why the Court of Protection came to this sad but ultimately necessary decision

The alternative to the abortion is that she carries a pregnancy to full term and gives birth. With a mental age of 9. How is she going to understand what's happening to her body? How is she going to understand the importance of good nutrition and generally keeping healthy during pregnancy? How is she going to make a birth plan? How is she going to cope with labour? Then, probably worst of all, how is she going to cope with the removal of her baby - because obviously she's not going to be able to care for it - and how is the baby going to be affected by being removed from its mother? (I was removed from my birth mother and adopted at 6 weeks old, in probably the least tragic set of circumstances possible as far as adoption is concerned, and even I am screwed up!).

Just so, so sad for all concerned

Fucking hell 22 weeks, that’s appalling. Her mum has offered to help raise the child.

If a 9 yo was raped and got pregnant could the parents insist on an abortion? If the parents said no, they'd raise the child would a court over rule?

Years ago I worked in a hospital where a women with SEN came in to have an IUD fitted under general anaesthesia. She was found to be already pregnant so the doctor did a TOP without waking her and asking her what she wanted to do.

She had a partner and there was no question that with support, they could have been good parents.

I was horrified.

I think it was the right decision. A tragic one, but the right one in the circumstances. I suspect I'll be the only one though.

No I understand that but if I had a nine year old daughter I'm sure I could (not saying would) "force" her to have a termination...

I think I'm erring more on the awful side but like I said, interested to read the arguments from the always excellent with words women on FWR.

Sorry, my comment was to the OP, not to @Jemima232

How did it get to 22 weeks before this happened?

How did a woman with a mental age of 9 get pregnant in the first place?

If she can't look after her daughter, how is this woman's mother going to look after her mentally disabled daughter who's coping with the trauma of birth and motherhood and a baby?

I think we would need to see the full judgement since court of protection rulings are never well reported and the law around capacity is poorly understood.

It sounds like an absolutely harrowing case.

I agree with the judge.

She is too young to understand what having a baby means so she can't decide to have one.

On balance it's worse to make her go through with it. And let's be clear it IS making her if she doesn't understand.

What could happen (because she doesn't understand) is that she may not want it when bigger in 8 weeks and then it's too late. I can't even imagine how distressing that would be for someone with a mental age of between 6 and 9.

I hope whoever did this to her is prosecuted

Well if you read the article, the first thing it says is 'mental age of between 6 and 9'.

So not 9 then.

Can you imagine a child of 6 understanding what it is to be pregnant and have a baby? Me neither.

I don't think this woman has had her choice taken away from her as the court has clearly and carefully considered it and understood she has no capacity to understand that choice and this was the sad but best option.

That poor girl did not have capacity to consent to sex.
She has the mental age of a 6-9 year old.
Her mother is against abortion on principle and the girl thinks it would be nice to have a baby, with no idea of the realities of childbirth or looking after a child.
It is terribly sad but where someone does not have mental capacity to make decisions for themselves then someone else must do it for them. The medics pushed this to court. The social worker is satisfied that the grandmother could care for the child, but is not concerned with the affect on the mother herself.
I wouldn't put a 6-9 year old through the trauma of childbirth if it could be at all avoided.

I know this isn’t the point of the tread, but “fell pregnant”?

She did not “fall pregnant” She was raped.

Totally agree with @LaurieFairyCake

At 22 weeks she'll have to go through delivery anyway won't she?

I don't know what the answer is tbh. How the hell did she get pregnant?

I hope they give her a general anaesthetic and don't make her deliver. I would imagine that's what would happen.

As someone which a daughter with LD, the more important question to me is who raped her?

I'm pretty horrified they make anyone deliver tbh, I hope they do.

I know of at least one pregnancy resulting from 2 people with equal mental ages/LD's at a day centre.

What a very sad situation. I think something has gone wrong somewhere if this lady has managed to get pregnant and nobody notice for so long. I have a 10 year old and he isn't left unsupervised long enough to do that, not that he'd want to. If an actual 9 year old got pregnant I think it would be up to her parents to decide what's best for her, the same with any other medical decision. I can't imagine making that kind of choice though, either way would be horrendously traumatic for the girl.

@toystorypants

An 'actual nine year old' still isn't forced to have an abortion.

How can they justify killing a healthy baby against the mum and grandma's wishes?

Also, there's no physical reason why she can't continue, unlike an actual child. She's perfectly capable of delivering a child which can be adopted etc.

I don't think there is a happy solution to a situation like this

Such a sad case- ultimately I think it’s better to terminate than see the baby through to
Full term and then have ss take the baby away, which imo is more traumatic. But who the hell let this get to 22weeks?