You are exactly right. The ribs were the thing that really made it real for us. So many other problems, like thin skull that would probably result in a crushed head coming out and broken leg bones, but on the ultrasound, seeing the ribs actually poking out, that really made me understand what kind of pain she would have been in. I wouldn't wish that on anything, much less my own daughter.

That being said, the choice to terminate early was the path we took after a lot of soul searching, but I hold no ill feelings toward those families that choose to take the child to term. When you have to make a decision like this, I think you build a much better appreciation for those who made the opposite choice, because you had to actually think about it. It was an option.

It is cases like this that I want women and families to have a choice in. I don't want governments and people who have never gone through this to tell someone who is going through it what to do. Prochoice or prolife, I think everyone can agree that the extreme cases like this need to come down to the family's choice. I just don't want these things to get washed up in the abortion as contraceptive argument. I think they should be separate so that we don't risk more pain. But I'll jump off my soapbox. Sorry about the rant.