A Texas couple is speaking out after they say they’re being forced to continue their unviable pregnancy under the state’s tight abortion laws.
Kylie and Seth Beaton told ABC News that at a 20-week ultrasound, they learned their baby has alobar holoprosencephaly, a rare condition that prevents the brain from developing properly.
Their doctor discovered that “there was essentially no brain there,” Kylie Beaton said. See the interview in the video player above.
Dr. Katie McHugh, an Indiana OB-GYN and abortion provider, told ABC News that the rare condition occurs during fetus development. It means that the brain does not divide normally into the two hemispheres.
“The main structures of the brain remain fused in the middle,” she said. “These structural differences result in a situation in which the brain does not function properly. Most of these infants do not live past a year.”
The condition is seen in about one in 10,000 live births, she added.
The Beatons said they were planning on welcoming their baby — a boy — later this year, as she had no other complications. But after learning of the brain condition, they had to weigh their options.
Their doctor told them his hands were “tied” because of Texas’ abortion law. The state has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country and outlaws the procedure with the exception of medical emergencies.
Kylie Beaton said her doctor could only end the pregnancy if she developed a severe health complication, or induce labor if the fetus died.
They made plans to travel to New Mexico for an abortion, but they were told the baby was too large. When they planned on traveling to Colorado, the price was between $10,000-$15,000.
“That was out of the question,” she said.
She added that “never in a million years” did she think she’d be in this situation of uncertainty. The couple added they are feeling helpless with their options and that they believe the procedure should be allowed for women in similar situations.
“Right now, I’m just terrified for my wife. She’s the strongest person I know and she’s just helpless right now. And it’s not fair for her and other women. And we have a daughter, I couldn’t imagine my daughter ever having to go through this,” Seth Beaton said.
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