Mother Refuses Pressure From Doctors to Have Abortion of Baby Born With No Arms

A mother who refused pressure from doctors to abort her son, Hendré, has lauded the “greatest gift we could have received… I wish they could hear me when I tell them it’s okay to have a child who’s different from society’s idea of ‘normal.’”

Mariaan Strauss, 25, from South Africa, and her husband Hendrik, 26, were pressured by a doctor to abort their unborn son after a scan at 23 weeks revealed that he wasn’t developing arms.

Following the scan, a doctor told them, “You’re selfish if you don’t abort.