A mother admitted she wished she had aborted her son who was born with Down Syndrome. This is a statement that is hard to comprehend. Gillian Relf, 69, revealed in an interview that she regrets having her son Steven who is now 47.
She is afraid of what may happen to him after she passes away. He requires constant and daily care and has inhibited her and her husband from living their lives. Steven is Gillian’s second son. Andrew was born happy and healthy and there was no reason to think her second child would have any issues. She was a healthy 22 year old woman who had already had a successful pregnancy.
But in the past, tests were not performed on pregnant women as they are today. Gillian had a sixth sense something was wrong with her baby, but the doctors wouldn’t listen because she was at such low risk for a Down Syndrome baby.
Many thought that over time Gillian would change her thoughts about abortion, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. He had made their lives stressful and complicated and she couldn’t help but think about how happy they would be without him.
It’s so easy to want to judge Gillian. But, unless living her life, one has no idea what she has been through. She is a strong, courageous woman who has admitted a very hard truth. Instead of criticized, she should be commended.