A Canadian couple were thrilled to have been able to start a family in their 40s. They had just celebrated the first birthday of their son, earlier this year, when they discovered they were expecting again. Seven weeks later, their surprise turned to worry when an ultrasound showed the wife was carrying twins.

“It came as a complete shock,” the mother (who did not want to reveal her name) told the National Post. “We’re both career people. If we were going to have three children two years apart, someone else was going to be raising our kids… All of a sudden our lives as we know them, and as we liked to lead them, are not going to happen.”

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That’s why she and her husband made the difficult decision to “reduce” the number of babies she was carrying. At first their own doctor tried to tell them that the procedure was illegal and then attempted to convince the woman that she could afford to become a stay-at-home mom. Eventually they found a Canadian clinic that would do the procedure, and it was funded by Medicare.

Selective reductions are becoming more common as the number of multiple pregnancies increases, thanks in part to the success and popularity of fertility treatments like IVF. According to the mother, her Toronto doctor performs this procedure several times a month. New York-based obstetrician Dr. Mark Evans confirms that twins make up about 5 percent to 7 percent of the total reductions, which are typically performed between the ninth and 12th week of pregnancy.

How does it work? Doctors use ultrasound to guide a needle through the woman’s abdomen, into the uterus. They then inject a potassium chloride solution into the fetus or fetuses, which stops their hearts.

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“I am absolutely sure I did the right thing,” says the mother. “I had read some online forums, people were speaking of grieving, feeling a sense of loss. I didn’t feel any of that. Not that I’m a cruel, bitter person… I just didn’t feel I would be able to care for [twins] in a way that I wanted to.”

It seems that the economy is also increasing the demand for selective reductions, which raises some ethical questions. Should parents have the right to selectively abort some of their babies because of the impact that child may have on their current lives? “I do believe people should have the choice, given the cost of raising children today,” says the unnamed mother. “You want to be able to provide for your children… to give them the things they need to become the best adults they can become.”

Where do you stand on the issue, HollyMoms?

–Amy L. Harper

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Abortion has always been an extremely controversial issue. And while it should be a private matter, one Minneapolis, Minn., based couple is putting the life of their unborn child in the hands of strangers. Pete and Alisha Arnold have created a website, birthornot.com, which was taken down overnight, so that people can vote on whether or not they should abort their baby.

Why on earth would this couple want to do this? “Voting is such an integral part of the American identity,” they write on their site. “We vote on everything from the best singer on American Idol to who the next leader of the free world would be. Wouldn’t it be nice to voice your opinion and have it actually make a difference in the real world? Why not vote on whether to continue or abort an actual pregnancy?”

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Shouldn’t this be decided by the Arnolds, who have been married for nine years? Considering that Alisha, 30, has suffered two miscarriages in the past year, I would think that she would be thrilled to carry this baby to term. After all, they’ve nicknamed the fetus Wiggles and have been following its progress. “Wiggles is now approximately the size of an avocado with an average crown to rump measurement of 4.6 inches,” she posted on the site on Tuesday (November 15). The baby is also developing taste buds and bones in its ears which means he or she can start to hear noises outside the womb.

While some are skeptical about the authenticity of this campaign, both Alisha and Pete insist that they’re serious. “We are taking this very seriously,” they told Gawker. “It’s definitely not a pro-life campaign. We believe in a woman’s right to choose.”

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But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to go along with the outcome of the vote. “It’s kind of like Congress. They might vote for something, but the president has the final veto.”

HollyMoms, do you think this couple should have the baby? Personally, I think they’ve already proven themselves to be unfit parents no need to put that to a vote.

–Amy L. Harper

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