by Gloria Feldt

About the author: Gloria Feldt is president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Claudia Crown Ades discovered in her 26th week of pregnancy that the baby she desperately wanted was doomed by extensive damage to the brain, heart, and internal organs.

Mary-Dorothy Line learned at 19 weeks that there was no hope for her pregnancy. The skull of her fetus had filled with fluid in place of a developed brain.

And then there’s Vikki Stella. In her 32nd week of pregnancy, an ultrasound determined that something was terribly wrong. Testing ultimately confirmed nine major anomalies, including a fluid-filled cranium with no brain tissue at all. A diabetic, Vikki could not have continued the pregnancy without endangering her health, due to increased risk of blood loss during delivery.

These women—all...