Woman who chose to abort her fatally-ill baby at 21 weeks insists the practice must not be made illegal, insisting she does not regret the decision, despite 'grappling with the hell of it every day'

  • Robin Colleen from Missouri was told at her 21-week scan that her baby would either be stillborn or die soon after her birth
  • Doctors told Robin and her husband Jim that their daughter Grace Pearl had a fatal disease
  • She decided to speak out in the light of President-elect Donald Trump's anti-abortion rhetoric
  • Robin warned the incoming administration of the dangers of outlawing abortion or making the procedure less accessible

By Miranda Bryant For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:15 EST, 12 January 2017 | Updated: 20:30 EST, 12 January 2017

A woman who had an abortion after she was told at 21 weeks that her child would either be stillborn or die has warned of the dangers of making the practice illegal.

Robin Colleen from Missouri was forced to make the heartbreaking decision after her 21-week anatomy scan found that her daughter Grace Pearl had a fatal disease, early onset autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.

She decided to speak out in the light of the current political climate as she cautioned against outlawing abortion or making the procedure less accessible.

Caution: Robin Colleen, pictured, from Missouri who had an abortion at 21 weeks has warned against making the practice illegal

It comes amid fears that abortion, which has been legal in America since 1973, will be heavily restricted under Donald Trump's incoming administration after he made a number of pro-life pledges.

'I have grappled with the hell of choosing to end my wanted child's life every single day,' Robin wrote on Facebook.

'Know that we are the people you're hurting, Grace is the baby you'd be hurting, and again, there are no exceptions in these laws for us.'

She added: 'We aren't some hypothetical people who no longer want to be pregnant because it's inconvenient. 

'We are people that have chased this dream harder than anything else in our lives, and were put in a terrible position and thankfully, had the right to do what was best for our very, very loved baby girl. 

'Please don't make it so we and others like us can't continue to in the future.' 

Her experience has resonated with thousands of people who have interacted with her post on the issue.

Robin and her husband Jim made the decision after they were told by three different doctors that 'not one child has made it yet with her disease'. 

Brave: Writing in a moving Facebook post, pictured, she highlighted the dangers of outlawing abortion or making the procedure less accessible

She was also told that her own risk would have multiplied by seven times if she remained pregnant.

'We desperately wanted Grace - we have been trying for four years and have done IVF twice, and multiple frozen embryo transfers. 

'We have pursued pregnancy doggedly. We likewise have extensively looked into adoption.

'Please know that our decision to terminate the pregnancy at 21 weeks, five days (nearly six months pregnant) was one that we made out of love, and was terribly difficult,' said Robin.

Robin said she and Jim were 'utterly stunned and devastated' by the news of their child's illness and that they 'remain gutted'.

She told Daily Mail Online: 'I don't think the grief will ever go away but I hear it changes and you learn to live with it.' 

The President-elect has said that he is 'committed' to nominating pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, ending 'painful' late-term abortions across the US, withdrawing money from Planned Parenthood and put an end to taxpayer-funded abortions.

Kellyanne Conway, his senior adviser, is set to speak at a prominent anti-abortion march in Washington, D.C. later this month. 

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