Bella Santorum taken to the hospital.

[Austin]

did the news say why she is in the hospital? Last time she had pneumonia. I hope this isn't the case for her again. I'm really not at all familiar with her condition, does she have any physical challenges or is it a form of being developmenally delayed, to where she'll eventually catch up to other children as she grows up?

She will not catch up, and probably will not grow up. It's very rare for a child with trisomy 18 to make it to 10 years old.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_syndrome

She is both physically disabled and developmentally delayed.

[NurseNell]

She's already beaten the odds by making it to three. Most trisomy 18 babies die before they are born. If they do live, the average expectancy is only a few days. Of course, because many people choose to terminate the pregnancy when they find out the child has this condition, there isn't a lot data about the possibility of making it past a few days.

I know a 7 y.o. girl with it. She's been near death many times. Her parents are here as refugees, they have medicaid and she gets fantastic care, as good as or better than someone with private health insurance. Her care is through Gillette Children's in Saint Paul, MN, one of the top places in the country for care of special needs children.

[NurseNell]

I also hope that poor little girl recovers quickly. It's truly heartbreaking to think of all the pain and suffering she's had to endure in her short life.

I will never understand why they deliberately chose to sentence this child to a lifetime of pain and suffering.

There are good times too. I worked with such children for 20 years. Are you advocating a mercy killing? Or saying that such children are any less wanted than so called normal kids?

[hoipolloi]

I'm sorry for Bella that her parents use her as a pro-life prop and I hope that they give her life the dignity she deserves, should she pass at any point when they are in the public eye. Her value is more than the fact that she wasn't aborted and I hope they recognize that.

This.

[3 is enough]

There are good times too. I worked with such children for 20 years. Are you advocating a mercy killing? Or saying that such children are any less wanted than so called normal kids?

Of course not. Just saying that they knew this was going to be her lot in life before she was born. They knew she would be very sick, and there was no hope for any cure of any kind. I have no doubt the Santorums love their daughter very much, but as others have said, I hope they value her for more than just a pro-life prop.

I have a nephew with special needs. It is highly doubtful that he will ever be self-sufficient. He is a wonderful child, and we all love him very much. But my brother and sister-in-law, having learned that any other children they might have could possibly have the same issues, and even to a greater degree, did not have any more children. It was a chance they just could not take.

[NurseNell]

Of course not. Just saying that they knew this was going to be her lot in life before she was born. They knew she would be very sick, and there was no hope for any cure of any kind. I have no doubt the Santorums love their daughter very much, but as others have said, I hope they value her for more than just a pro-life prop.

I have a nephew with special needs. It is highly doubtful that he will ever be self-sufficient. He is a wonderful child, and we all love him very much. But my brother and sister-in-law, having learned that any other children they might have could possibly have the same issues, and even to a greater degree, did not have any more children. It was a chance they just could not take.

OK, I misunderstood you.

Yes, I have a friend whose first child had multiple anomalies, and they too decided not to have more children.

[kpmom]

How did the Santorums know about Bella's chromosomal abnormality before her birth? Did they have genetic testing?

[shesinsane]

How did the Santorum's know about Bella's chromosomal abnormality before her birth? Did they have genetic testing?

from an article on lifenews:

Santorum talks about her daughter Bella, who has Edwards Syndrome, later in the video.

“We got the diagnosis on our little girl Bella four days after her birth. It was a really hard time. You know, we weren’t expecting it and so it was really hard,†she says. “We had lost a baby so that’s all I can think about was ‘I can’t go through this again.’ i was very angry and went into a deep dark hole for 10 days when she was the in the NICU, I must admit,†Santorum continues. “I was never going to leave my faith, I love the Lord, I was praying and I kept asking why. I couldn’t understand.â€

Eventually she said she came to realize that “God is in child and this beautiful child is here for a purpose.â€

That purpose being a short life full of medical issues so her father can use her to advance his political agenda.

[kpmom]

If they got the diagnosis after she was born, I don't understand the comment upthread about choosing to sentence her to a lifetime of pain and suffering.

[Maul the Koala]

I'm surprised they didn't know beforehand. Unless she has the mosaic form of Trisomy 18. Almost all trisomies are detected before birth.

[bellicosebroad]

There are good times too. I worked with such children for 20 years. Are you advocating a mercy killing? Or saying that such children are any less wanted than so called normal kids?

If I were pregnant and I knew the baby was going to have T18, I don't think I'd abort (although I am pro-choice and would not fault someone else for deciding differently). I've heard other parents say they'll cherish whatever time they have with their baby, and I think that is how I would feel, as well. I'm sure Bella suffers, but she also clearly loves and engages with her family. I loathe "Candidate" Rick Santorum and everything *he* stands for, but you can also see that this is a daddy who dearly loves his little girl. I don't fault him for the latter, not one bit.

[Gizmola]

I'm sorry for Bella that her parents use her as a pro-life prop and I hope that they give her life the dignity she deserves, should she pass at any point when they are in the public eye. Her value is more than the fact that she wasn't aborted and I hope they recognize that.

+1

[3 is enough]

Apologies, I was mistaken.. For some reason I was under the impression that they had genetic testing early in the pregnancy, and decided to go ahead, fully aware of what their daughter's life would be like.

[YPestis]

If I had such a sick child with a terminal illness, my first priority is to ensure comfort. I hope the Santorums are as well. The worst thing that can happen to such children is to have painful procedures done to them in the long shot that it will extend their life.....which is no quality of life if the patient continues to suffer. Some people see being "prolife" as prioritizing quantity over quality of life. However, I believe no one should be made to live just to suffer.

[3 is enough]

Some people see being "prolife" as prioritizing quantity over quality of life. However, I believe no one should be made to live just to suffer.

Totally agree.

[Koala]

That poor sweet baby...

[teddybear]

Poor thing, I hope she will be ok and isn't suffering.

[Austin]

This is an anomaly that is for the very vast percentage of time incompatible with life. Most with the full syndrome are stillborn or die within hours or days of birth. Eight percent live one year and 1% live ten years, and I would imagine those lives are fraught with one medical intervention after another.

I think choosing to terminate a pregnancy such as this is a very valid choice. It's don't think it's particularly noble or loving to bring a child such as this into the world.

[shesinsane]

Apologies, I was mistaken.. For some reason I was under the impression that they had genetic testing early in the pregnancy, and decided to go ahead, fully aware of what their daughter's life would be like.

That's what I thought too, but a wannabe Breitbart I know posted the link to the Santorum story today. Maybe in another interview they claimed they did know before birth and then changed their story, but I would think for a forced birth website like Lifenews they would play up the "the doctors told us to get an abortion but we chose not to" angle.

On the other hand, we know Santorum doesn't think other women should get prenatal testing, perhaps his wife decided to turn down certain medical tests, including the one that would have caught the trisomy during her pregnancy.

[fundiefan]

Whatever choices her parents made or didn't make, the child is suffering. For that, my heart aches.

Anything beyond the suffering of a child, I got nothing. I can't say what I want to say without sounding like a heartless bitch who thinks a child should die.

If her suffering would end, that would be the blessing. By death or some miracle it doesn't matter. Just stop the suffering of an innocent child.

[brigid]

This is an anomaly that is for the very vast percentage of time incompatible with life. Most with the full syndrome are stillborn or die within hours or days of birth. Eight percent live one year and 1% live ten years, and I would imagine those lives are fraught with one medical intervention after another.

I think choosing to terminate a pregnancy such as this is a very valid choice. It's don't think it's particularly noble or loving to bring a child such as this into the world.

I actually think it's depraved to knowingly bring a soul into this world only to suffer. I'm not a fan of Mother Theresa either.

[BelieveinScience]

Just out of curiosity for people who think she's suffering what is your definition of suffering? Physical? emotional? mental?

[fundiefan]

Just out of curiosity for people who think she's suffering what is your definition of suffering? Physical? emotional? mental?

All of the above, with none dependent upon another.

[shesinsane]

Here's a theory: Rick Santorum opposes prenatal testing because the knowledge might cause the parents to decide to terminate the pregnancy. Mrs. Santorum knew her husband's feelings, but wasn't sure if she would be able to do it. Mrs. Santorum felt, deep down inside, that if she were pregnant with a child she knew would be severely disabled she would not choose to carry the pregnancy to term. So, to avoid a possible conflict with her husband, she decided to not have prenatal testing and just prayed everything would turn out ok. Then Bella was born, and she learned she had taken the right course - if she had known Bella had trisomy 18 she wouldn't have wanted to give birth to her. By choosing to avoid prenatal testing, she avoided a moral issue she knew her family couldn't handle.

[BelieveinScience]

All of the above, with none dependent upon another.

There a lot of diseases that can be argued as suffering then- like Down Syndrome. I think you(general you) get into a slippery slope when you start trying to define what suffering it and if parents are being martyrs for not aborting children with these conditions. You can be mentally impaired and live a happy life. Shouldn't that be the ultimate goal for everyone no matter how long or short his or her life is, but to have a happy one?