Pregnant Woman Lets Doctors Kill Her Baby In The Womb So Twin Would Live

A pregnant woman has let doctors kill one of the two babies in her womb so that its twin would live.

Cavidan Asir, 40, allowed doctors to perform a procedure to stop the baby’s heart after they detected an anomaly. The operation also meant that the other child, which appeared to be developing normally, would survive.

The procedure was carried out in the city of Aydin in Aydin Province in western Turkey.

Cavidan Asir from Aydin in Turkey is pregnant with twins, but the heart of one of them in her womb was stopped by an operation, upon detection of an anomaly, so that the other could survive. (Newsflash)

Dr Fedi Ercan and Dr Alper Tanriverdi, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Department of Perinatology at Aydin Adnan Menderes University Hospital, talked to the family and explained that to avoid risking the healthy baby’s life, they could stop the heart of the other twin.

The family took the difficult decision to proceed with the operation and stop the unborn child’s heart using radio-frequency ablation (RFA) in a procedure that lasted approximately one hour.

Asir said: “One of our twins was in very bad health. My husband and I had to make a decision. It was difficult to make this decision as a mother. But we made that decision.

Cavidan Asir from Aydin in Turkey is pregnant with twins, but the heart of one of them in her womb was stopped by an operation, upon detection of an anomaly, so that the other could survive. (Newsflash)

“Hopefully, God will give us the opportunity to give birth in a healthy way and to hold our baby in our arms.”

Fedi Ercan said the procedure, which was chosen after the anomaly was detected in the 14th week of pregnancy, was carried out to increase the chances of the healthy baby’s survival and to avoid it being born prematurely. The doctor added that the procedure ensured that the healthy child would live.

Dr Ercan said: “She is 40 years old and this is her first pregnancy. Therefore, it is a very precious pregnancy for her as well. I hope we will have a trouble-free process until delivery for both the mother and the healthy baby.”

Cavidan Asir from Aydin in Turkey is pregnant with twins, but the heart of one of them in her womb was stopped by an operation, upon detection of an anomaly, so that the other could survive. (Newsflash)

It is currently unclear exactly how far along the pregnant woman is and when her due date is. But doctors said that they are monitoring her and that she is currently in good health.

According to American not-for-profit health system Memorial Hermann, “RFA is a procedure utilized to stop the blood flow in an abnormal fetus. It uses a small needle device that is inserted by ultrasound guidance to identify the insertion of the umbilical cord to the fetus. The needle is turned ‘on’ until there is no more blood flow going to the fetus. The advantage of this technique is the small size of the RFA needle which minimizes the risks of preterm labor. The remains of the abnormal fetus will either become smaller or pass during delivery.”