Mother Pregnant With Conjoined Twins Refuses Pressure From Father to Have Abortion

National   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Jul 1, 2015   |   12:01PM   |   Denver, CO

In Minnesota, Amber McCullough is pregnant with conjoined twins and may have a risky EXIT procedure to give one of the twins a better chance at survival. According to the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute, an EXIT delivery is performed when it is anticipated that a baby or babies in the case of twins, will have immediate life-threating problems once removed from the mother at delivery.

Amber shared that her girls, Hannah and Olivia, are a rare combination since she is an identical twin herself. Unfortunately, doctors told her that Olivia has a single ventricle heart and regardless of medical intervention, will likely not survive. However, her other daughter, Hannah has a fighting chance because her heart is normal.

To make matters worse, Amber experienced intense pressure to abort her girls by their father.

On her GoFundMe page she explained, “I have not and refuse to give up on my girls. I have been in a position where I have had much pressure to abort at times and I refuse. Instead, I choose to embrace their life while they are here and fight like crazy to do all I can for my daughters. It is likely I will need to travel to Denver for a consult and care if is determined that an EXIT to separation procedure is necessary in order to save Hannah’s life.”

Although it is still uncertain if Amber’s girls will have the EXIT operation, they are doing a little better than they were before.

Here’s an update from Amber on her daughter’s current condition:

As for the girls, they are doing better this week than the previous three weeks. I believe this is the effect of finally taking the time to breath, rest, and put all of this in God’s hands. I also believe the power of prayer certainly had a hand in this as well. A week ago they found some fluid around Olivia’s lungs. Now there is only a hint/trace and only from a certain angle. It is as good as gone. This is great news!

The doctors and I have also been very concerned that Hannah’s heart may be working too hard compensating for Olivia’s to the point that Hannah’s heart may start to fail before she can be delivered and be separated. For the last couple/few weeks the doctors were seeing some fluid around Hannah’s heart. We have turned a corner and are doing better in that arena as well! Hannah’s heart was looking good!

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Again, I think this can be attributed to the power of prayer, and allowing myself to rest at home away from the abusive behavior I left earlier this month. With my body under less stress, their hearts are under less stress and I am more hopeful than ever.

At my appointments this week we finished all the documents for the doctor in Denver to review all of my other records from every other place I’ve been so far (MPP, Mayo, and CHOP). The doctor in Denver has already been monitoring everything from the U of M where the girls and I are now. This is very promising folks. I’m excited and nervous as we move forward in staging the planning process for delivering my girls. I’m also terrified.

As LifeNews previously reported, in 2013 doctors were able to save a little girl named Lake Annabelle Hall thanks to the EXIT procedure. The AP reported that Hall was partially removed from her mother’s womb while a team of 43 doctors and nurses operated on her. During the operation, Hall was connected to her umbilical cord and placentia, which served as life-support.

To find out more about Amber’s situation and offer financial support click here.

See the ultrasound picture of Hannah and Olivia below:

hannahandolivia