DISTRESSING CONTENT WARNING: Kay Young said she aborted the pregnancy on advice from doctors at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, which her solicitors said led to “unavoidable death”
A mum who was told her unborn child was suffering from a lethal form of dwarfism later discovered she was perfectly healthy – years after she made the difficult decision to have an abortion.
Kay Young agreed to abort her infant daughter after doctors told her a 20 week scan revealed the developing baby had potentially serious development complications, including shortened thigh bones. Follow up testing at Blackpool Victoria Hospital discovered she also had shortened upper arms, and she was referred onwards to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Manchester.
There she received an ultrasound and medical advice that her unborn child, who she had named Keira, was suffering a fatal form of dwarfism, and further advised she should terminate the pregnancy. The mum, then in her early 20s, made the heartbreaking decision to follow the medical advice, and went through a horror ordeal before discovering she was healthy.
The pregnancy was terminated and Keira was stillborn three days after the procedure. She said she believed she was healthy, however, as she felt her “strong” movements. She said: “I knew there was nothing wrong with Keira. As a mother, you just know. Her movements were strong, but I trusted the advice I was given.”
When they found out she was actually healthy after Keira’s death, Kay said neither she nor her partner were able to “cope” with the discovery. She said: “My partner and I could not cope when we found out that Keira did not have a lethal form of dwarfism following the hospital’s postmortem.
“We moved away from the area for a while because we could not cope. Our relationship broke down. It was too much to bear knowing that we made the wrong decision and that she should still be alive today. I want Keira to be remembered and for the hospital to acknowledge what they did.”
Ms Young, who reached a settlement with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – which denies liability – wants her daughter to be remembered on the fifth anniversary of her death at Saint Mary’s Hospital. She said she wants Keira “to be remembered and for the hospital to acknowledge what they did”.
Diane Rostron, her solicitor, said Kay suffered “significant trauma” and alleged the hospital failed to consider that her two previous children were born small. She claimed the hospital “failed to consider an alternative diagnosis, making a fatal error which we believe caused Keira’s avoidable death”.
A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We wish to express our sincere condolences to Kay Young and her family. The circumstances of the treatment provided to Kay Young have been investigated in detail. The hospital has reflected on all aspects of the care provided, and we consider that lessons have been learned from this case.
“We hope the settlement agreed will help her and her family to move on from this and wish them all the best for the future. Our door always remains open should they wish to discuss any further questions with us.”
