Lydia Crandall’s marriage was falling apart. Her husband was verbally abusive. She had two young children to care for and twins on the way. Then, doctors told her that her unborn daughters were going to die and she should have an abortion.
To some Americans, Crandall had every reason to follow her doctors’ advice and abort her unborn babies. But she did not.
Speaking with Live Action News, Crandall said she believes ending an unborn baby’s life in an abortion is unacceptable, and today, her twins, Autumn Hope and Brooke Faith, are 14 years old and doing well.
“It’s important to remember that the difficulties experienced during pregnancy is short-term, compared to the time our babies will live outside the womb. Each of us is here today because someone chose life,” Crandall said.
Her pregnancy and the first few years with the twins were extremely difficult.
Early in her pregnancy, one crisis piled on top of another. Crandall said her marriage was crumbling when she learned that she was pregnant with the twins. Then, she found out that they had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and probably would not survive, according to the report.
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“At first, I was told my babies had markers for Down syndrome, but it was later confirmed they had Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which is a blood sharing disorder where one twin doesn’t receive enough nutrients and the other receives too much. It’s a serious condition affecting both babies,” she explained.
That was when doctors began pressuring her to have an abortion. It’s a common form of medical discrimination that many mothers experience after their unborn babies are diagnosed with anything from a fatal disease to Down syndrome to cleft lip.
Here’s more from the report:
Doctors told Crandall that the twins’ condition was 80-100% fatal and advised her to abort the twins. That option wasn’t acceptable to Crandall, who had always believed in the sanctity of life. She was determined to carry her babies to term. But the specialists repeatedly told her the situation was grim and she should consider abortion.
When she held firm, they finally told her about a delicate treatment done in utero on the placenta that severs the veins and arteries causing the condition.
She and her unborn daughters underwent surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Brooke nearly died. When she went home, still pregnant, on orders of strict bed rest, she faced a difficult environment, she told Live Action.
“My husband wasn’t supportive during this rocky time, but I knew I had to get through it for my babies,” she said. “… During this trial, I was experiencing a crisis of faith in my heart. So, I am grateful that we had so many faithful friends and family lifting us up in prayer. Their faithfulness sustained me.”
Autumn and Brooke were born prematurely and spent several weeks in the hospital. A month after Crandall brought the girls home, she and her husband divorced, according to the report.
For the first couple years of their lives, the twins battled serious health problems. But today, their mother said they both are doing well.
“I’m very grateful for God’s grace and goodness,” Crandall told Live Action News. “As I reflect on my ordeal, I realize God doesn’t make mistakes. His timing and His will are not our own. Even when we don’t understand the trials and tribulations in our lives, what we are going through is part of a bigger plan.”
