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MOTHER IN COURT FIGHT FOR RIGHT TO CHOOSE
by Louise Male A mother who says she would have had an abortion rather than give birth to her severely disabled child is today battling for compensation at London's High Court.
The mother, from Leeds, says staff at the Leeds General Infirmary were negligent in failing to warn her of her son's distressing medical condition following two ultrasound scans during her pregnancy.
The four-year-old suffers from a rare bladder disorder and spinal problems, but he is not mentally disabled.
Now his mother, who cares for him at home, is seeking massive damages from the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The trust denies liability .
The mother's barrister, Huw Lloyd, yesterday told Mr Justice Holland that she had undergone a series of scans in early 1999 before the birth.
He said: "Hospital staff had failed to make the correct diagnosis ... and had only informed the parents of an abdominal wall defect that would have been reparable after birth."
He told Mr Justice Holland: "Had the condition been diagnosed pre-natally and had appropriate counselling been given, the outcome would have been very different. Termination of pregnancy would have been given as an option to consider.
"As a result of the trust's negligence in failing to make the correct diagnosis and inform her of the baby's condition, the mother carried the baby to term. Had she known of the condition, she would have opted for a termination.
"The child is considerably handicapped and will remain so. He will require a number of surgical procedures in the future. This child will require a great deal of supervision and care."
Proceeding
louise.male@ypn.co.uk
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Friday 25 May 2012
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