I’d like to thank SKL for bringing this story to my attention. I’m not going to write anything about it. I’m just copying the story for you and would like to hear what you have to say or what you think about this.
TAMPA — “A Florida OB-GYN who was supposed to abort a fetus with Down syndrome in a twin pregnancy but leave the normal one alone made the worst kind of mistake. Dr. Matthew J. Kachinas got the twins mixed up and injected a killing chemical into the wrong one, records show.
At a weekend meeting in Tampa, the Florida Board of Medicine revoked Kachinas’ license for that and a series of other pending cases, according to Florida Health News. Immediately after the hearing, the physician said he intended to kill himself and was involuntarily hospitalized.
Kachinas, who practiced in Sarasota, was one of the few OB-GYNs in Florida who accepted abortion patients in late second trimester, records show. The “selective reduction” in the twin pregnancy was not considered a late-term procedure.
The parents of the twins, who had achieved the pregnancy through in-vitro fertilization with an egg donor, were not identified and were not at the hearing. Records show that after the normal fetus was inadvertently killed, they ended the pregnancy altogether the following week.
Records show the fetal twins were at 15 weeks’ gestation when the botched “feticid” took place. The normal fetus was a girl; the twin with anomalies — Down syndrome and a possible heart defect — was male.”
So…….what do you think of this?
Us Girls..Our Views 
I’m against any abortion. It’s a sad, sad story.
I am speak-less. Why is it allow to end a life of a down syndrome child with a “possible” heart defect. Most down syndrome children have a heart defect and are a joy to be with.
I am against ending a life. My opinion is, when the mother and/or child is in life danger, then it is an option, to try saving a life by doing an abortion.
It is very, very sad what happened their.
This is so horrible… What a hard choice for parents to make at all – deciding to abort one of their twins, but once the decision was made, to have it be the healthy one that was terminated? How horrible…
In larger terms, I don’t know how I feel about aborting a fetus with Down Syndrome. I know it’s a lot for parents to need to deal with, but still, children with Down syndrome can be happy, even if they don’t achieve what most of us consider a normal life… It’s a tough choice, either way.
The doctor made a very grave mistake , he should have been very careful while doing his work . How can this happen . But then he’s a human being after all and although the mistake was a huge one it should be forgiven because he did not had any grudge or personal motives behind doing it .
I don’t think I can….
“heart defect” = anyone willing to kill an unborn baby (ESPECIALLY LATE TEREM) has a defecive heart!
I’m not going to comment on the abortion part because its always a very sensitive topic. However, I am going to say that the doctor made a terrible mistake and should experience some sort of punishment. I’m thinking that suspending the license may be a little harsh if this really was the very first “mistake” this doctor has ever made (and has an awesome/perfect record going back years and years and years).
I agree with mssc.
Okay I am and always have been pro-choice. It is not up to me, not my body not my choice what you do. I know certain circumstances can provoke abortions, I understand that. It’s not something I would personally do, but again I have never been in such an unfortunate situation to even think about aborting a baby.
My thing is this; this women got pregnant through in-vitro fertilization. Not rape, not incest, not by accident. In my opinion, you take what you asked for!
This hits right at home for me, I have a cousin with down syndrome. She’s 21 now, my aunt could not take care of her when she was born. My grandma raised her, and did a wonderful job. She is the sweetest loving child you’ll ever meet. Funny as heck! I can’t fathom her not being apart of our family.
I think what this women did was wrong and unethical.
The doctor, needs to have his license suspended. I think this doctor needs to go back school and earn his license back!
I just felt this was a pretty comprehensive picture of what is wrong with our society today.
First, a couple decides to play God by creating a life via egg donor. They decide to take the risks of implanting more than one egg despite the increased risk. They so desire to be parents – but only on their terms.
Then they decide that the baby who has Down syndrome is defective. That wasn’t quite what they had in mind, so they decide to kill the child.
Then the doctor who specializes in killing babies does his job but not quite perfectly. It makes the news not because he kills a child, but because the child he killed was the one the parents had decided to value.
So now the parents have only one baby but alas, it’s the one they consider defective. Still not what they had in mind. Even though God decided to conceive this child and God decided to save the child from the abortion, they still refuse to consider that the child’s life might have some value – to the world if not to them personally. They contract once again to have this child killed.
And the only victims here are the parents.
Is the doctor human? Maybe, marginally. Are the parents human? Not really, not the way I’d define “human.” But the saddest thing is that this is what passes for morality today.
My heart aches for all the “defective” (but loved and valuable) children that are born into this world – and their parents – and also for those who haven’t been given a chance to be born. In my opinion, all life is valuable until it destroys other lives.
I found this link on the website of a mom of 5, who has both a biological child and an adopted child who have Down syndrome.
As an aside, I wonder if the “parents” would have made a different decision had the child not been from a donor egg. And, I wonder what the egg donor (and all egg donors) would think of all this.
Oh, the other thing I forgot to mention – the abortion doc declaring his intent to commit suicide. AFTER finding out his license was to be revoked and he couldn’t do any more abortions. So he had no problem living with himself as a baby killer, and had no problem living with himself after killing the “wrong” baby, but losing his license to kill more babies is too much to bear.
This whole situation appalls me. From the parents who, like SKL said, decided to “play God” in the first place, to the doctor who found nothing wrong with aborting a child with Down’s, to the medical board who is just NOW revoking his license, even though the doctor had a “series of other pending cases”.
Some questions that hit me:
– why in-vitro? Yes, I’ve carried a child, and ache to have another, but the experience of 9 months of swollen ankles and daily vomiting, followed by 12-24 hours of your body turning inside out is nothing compared with a lifetime of parenting and all the joys and sorrows it brings. Thousands of children, both domestic and abroad, await a loving family, but may never get one, thanks to procedures like this. (for the record, I’m still on the fence about the procedure, I know people who have done it – they have beautiful, bright triplets because of it – but they also used their own “genetic stuff”, with outside assistance, and declined “selective reduction”. For me, however, the issue is a non-starter. I simply won’t do it.)
– Did these people NOT have pre-procedure counseling? Did they not discuss the possibility of a “not normal” child being the result of this procedure? And if so, was it simply presented as, “well, if that happens, we can eliminate the ‘defective’ cells”?
– What would have been wrong with delivering both children, and adopting out the one with Down’s Syndrome? Some parents just aren’t equipped to deal with a child with special needs. I get that. But have we reached the point in society where giving a child away to a loving and welcoming home is worse than simply killing it? I guess we have.
– What the hell, with the doctor? This is the only place – the ONLY place – where I have sympathy, maybe, for the “parents”. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that they did their research on this doctor. Where is the AMA’s responsibility when it comes to doctors with “a series of other pending cases”? Shouldn’t they have an obligation to inform patients if there are charges pending against a doctor? I certainly don’t want so much as a hangnail removed by a doctor who has screwed up enough for there to be a “series of cases” pending!
Such a sad, sad situation all the way around. And even sadder is, like SKL also pointed out, the parents are the ones who are considered to be the “victims” in it.
I don’t believe we’ve ever talked about abortion here. It’s a subject that’s so personal that I’ve just left it alone. Certain things I’d rather let lie but this story got to me.
My feelings are this, abortion isn’t for me. I couldn’t do it under any circumstance that I can conjure up in my imagination. No matter what happened to me, that baby would still be mine NO MATTER WHAT. If I found out something was seriously wrong, I’d still want that child. I would still love that child.
Given that said, I do feel it should be available to those, who for whatever reason has come to the conclusion that they want to terminate their pregnancy. It’s not up to me what someone else does.
BUT THIS???? I’m appalled at this couple. Who could play God in the first place and have this procedure done then find out one wasn’t “perfect” and then did what they did? I can’t even imagine how they live with themselves. In my opinion, this couple shouldn’t be allowed to have children. I hope no doctor will “help” them again.
The hardest thing for me to understand is that there is a lot of sympathy regarding the baby that was “normal” and got aborted. I mean, why is that any more of a tragedy than her DS brother being aborted? If you’ve decided to kill a “fetus,” it seems you have decided that a “fetus” isn’t a person with rights. How then can you feel the loss of a “child” when one twin ends up dead instead of her brother? It’s just unreal. It’s like my kid getting angry because she has to wear pink today instead of purple. No principles whatsoever.
I agree. I feel the loss of both of these children equally.
For sure…two lives that were never given a chance. Saddest thing ever! So many people can’t have kids, who desperately want them, and they just “throw” these babies away! 😦
I agree with a lot of what has already been said. I find it a very sad and unfortunate story indeed. All the way around. I need more coffee to write more on this. Ive only had one cup ;+) I guess it hasn’t kicked in yet. More java please.
I also agree with what’s been said. WTH were the parents thinking and how can the doc live with himself are questions that pop into my head.
This story is horrible, and has haunted my thoughts since reading it. What a tragedy. I hope that couple finds peace.
hard..
I find it amusing how you all can post comments like “all abortion is wrong.”
It is not your choice. It is the womans choice. Its her body, her pain, it is her altered lifestyle, her 9 months of discomfort.
The fact that you all even have a opinion on shit that’s -obviously- a personal choice disturbs me. I dont have a opinion how you should grow your beard, or how you should do your hair. Because its NOT MY CHOICE, ITS YOURS.
And dont give me that, probably christian-inspired “an unborn baby is life” crap. Its a bunch of cells and plasma, without conscience, that grows inside the female womb.
Late-term abortion might be somewhat questionable, but still, the fact that you all so happily spout out your ill-begotten, so-called “opinions” sickens me, especially when its abso-fucking-lutely none. of. your. business.
Well, thank you so much for commenting. I would hardly call killing two children the same type of choice as how long to grow your beard. This is just what’s wrong with people now. You also must not have read the comments. I said abortion “wasn’t for me” but I still think people should be able to make the choice for themselves.
I honestly can’t believe you’re comparing hair to a child. But, it takes all kinds.
Also, just for the record. I didn’t have 9 months of “discomfort” but 9 months of feeling my child live inside of me and it was blissful.
Sounds like you are “a bunch of plasma, without conscience.” So I guess nobody should get upset if you get run over by a truck.