Christian’s Story
Two years after welcoming their first child into the world, Christian and his wife were thrilled to be expecting another baby boy. Everything seemed to be progressing normally.
Then an ultrasound at their 20-week check-up changed their lives.
Doctors noticed a serious problem with their baby’s development and referred them to a specialist. There, they learned their son’s development had stopped. He had a fatal fetal anomaly—a condition he could not survive.
As they tried to take in the news, they learned that continuing the pregnancy could also threaten his wife’s health and her ability to have children in the future.
After difficult conversations, guidance from their doctors, and prayerful consideration as a family, they made the heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy.
“We’re often judged or told our experience ‘doesn’t count.’ Under Idaho’s abortion ban, it certainly counts and would have fundamentally changed how my family navigated this tragedy.”
“It was the hardest decision we have ever made,” Christian shared. “Years later, we still think about our son and wonder what might have been. The grief never fully goes away.”
During that painful time, they had doctors who could explain their options, provide the care they chose, and recover in their own home. Harrison remembers the medical team’s compassion and the comfort of knowing his wife was in capable hands.
Their experience happened just months before Idaho’s current abortion ban went into effect.
“If this were to happen today, it would have been a very different experience. Our doctors wouldn’t have been able to give us clear information. My wife’s health and future fertility would have been put at risk carrying a baby that wouldn’t survive. Or we would have had to seek abortion care out of state and away from home.”
His wife remained healthy. Two years later, they welcomed another baby boy. That joy did not erase the loss of the son they still remember.
“It’s so hard to share our story of loss and needing to seek abortion care. We’re often judged or told our experience ‘doesn’t count.’ Under Idaho’s abortion ban, it certainly counts and would have fundamentally changed how my family navigated this tragedy.”
“Families facing the loss of a child happen more often than we’d like to think. The grief is often private, but their need for care and support is real.”
Today, Idaho’s abortion ban has no exception for a fatal fetal diagnosis. A mother must continue a pregnancy knowing the baby can't survive, put her health at risk, or seek care outside Idaho.
“I share my story because as a father and husband this was one of the most difficult experiences I’ve ever encountered. And my family isn’t an exception. Families facing the loss of a child happen more often than we’d like to think. The grief is often private, but their need for care and support is real.”
