‘THE FAMILY SECRET I CAN NEVER TELL’
“I ABORTED MY DOWN SYNDROME BABY”
TARA, 31, A PUBLIC SERVICE OFFICER, DECIDED TO END HER PREGNANCY AT 1 4 WEEKS. HER FAMILY THINKS SHE HAD A MISCARRIAGE.
“When I fell pregnant last year, I was ambivalent at first. I’d only been with my boyfriend, Alex, for a year, yet the more we talked about it, the less frightened we became. As Alex said, ‘We were going to do this anyway, we’re just doing it a bit sooner than planned.’ I knew my parents would be delighted; Mum loves babies. Alex and I found her excitement infectious, and we both cried at the 12-week scan. Suddenly, it felt real.
Our joy was short-lived, though. We were told that there was a risk of Down syndrome, and I had to undergo screening. Suddenly, there was a shadow over us. Brutal as it sounds, Alex and
