Mom of one-year-old daughter with Down syndrome pens emotional letter to the doctor who advised her to have an abortion

A loving mother has penned a heart-rending letter to the doctor she claims advised her to terminate her pregnancy because her daughter had Down syndrome and her ‘quality of life would be horrible’. 

A little over a year after the birth of her daughter Emersyn Faith, Courtney Baker from Sanford, Florida, had now 15-month-old Emmy photographed as she mailed the letter to the prenatal specialist ‘who didn’t want her to live’ after her prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.  

Even after she refused to terminate her pregnancy, Courtney said she felt pressured by her doctor to have an abortion, but nearly two years after learning Emmy’s diagnosis, the mom is bravely sharing her story. 

Letting go: Courtney Baker from Sanford, Florida, had her now 15-month-old daughter Emersyn Faith (pictured) mail the emotional letter she had written to the doctor she claims told her to terminate her pregnancy 

Hard times: Courtney, who is pictured her Emmy, explained in her letter that she felt pressured by her doctor to terminate her pregnancy even after she refused 

Courtney asked Down syndrome advocate Parker Myles to share the powerful image of Emmy mailing the letter on her Facebook page to show that her doctor was ‘so unbelievably wrong’ about his suggestion. 

In her letter, Courtney recalled how a friend recently told her that her prenatal special would always tell her ‘he’s perfect’ when he looked at her sonograms. 

‘Once her son was born with Down syndrome, she visited that same doctor. He looked at her little boy and said, “I told you. He’s perfect.”‘ she said. ‘Her story tore me apart.’

Courtney explained that while she was ‘grateful’ for her friend’s experience, she was ‘filled with such sorrow’ because that was what should have happened with her doctor but didn’t.

‘I came to you during the most difficult time in my life. I was terrified, anxious and in complete despair,’ she wrote. ‘I didn’t know the truth yet about my baby, and that’s what I desperately needed from you. But instead of support and encouragement, you suggested we terminate our child.’

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Looking back: Courtney said that her daughter is ‘perfect’ and wrote in her letter that she wished the doctor would have told her that during the difficult time in her life 

Beautiful family: Courtney said that her older daughter’s Rhyan (right), 15, and Evynn (left), 11, adore their little sister Emmy (center)

Courtney said that even when she told her doctor Emersyn’s name, he asked her and her partner again if they understood how low their quality of life would be if they had a child with Down syndrome.  

‘From that first visit, we dreaded our appointments,’ she recalled. ‘The most difficult time in my life was made nearly unbearable because you never told me the truth. My child was perfect.’

Courtney noted that she is not ‘angry’ or ‘bitter’, she is just ‘really sad’ that her doctor wasn’t filled with ‘perpetual awe’ over the tiny beating hearts he sees every day.  

‘I’m sad you were so very wrong to say a baby with Down syndrome would decrease our quality of life,’ she wrote. ‘And I’m heartbroken you might have said that to a mommy even today. But I’m mostly sad you’ll never have the privilege of knowing my daughter, Emersyn.’

Courtney, who has two older daughters, Rhyan, 15, and Evynn, 11, went on to insist that Emersyn has added to her family’s quality of life and ‘touched the hearts of thousands’, giving them a ‘purpose and joy that is impossible to express’.  

Final words: The mother-of-three noted that she is sad that the prenatal specialist who diagnosed Emmy with Down syndrome will never ‘have the privilege’ of knowing her 

Amazing little girl: Courtney said that Emmy has given her family a ‘purpose and joy that is impossible to express’

Raising awareness: Thousands of Facebook users have viewed and re-posted Courtney’s letter with many leaving comments of praise for the mother-of-three or sharing similar stories about their own doctors

‘My prayer is that you, too, will now see true beauty and pure love with every sonogram,’ Courtney ended her letter. ‘And my prayer is when you see that next baby with Down syndrome lovingly tucked in her mother’s womb, you will look at that mommy and see me then tell her the truth: “Your child is absolutely perfect.”‘

Thousands of Facebook users have viewed and re-posted Courtney’s message, with many leaving comments of praise for the mother-of-three or sharing similar stories about their own doctors. 

Courtney told ABC News that she always knew she was going to write the letter to her doctor — even before Emmy was born. 

After taking more than a year to write and mail the letter, Courtney said the entire process was therapeutic.  

‘Every action, from opening and closing the mailbox to raising the red flag, was closure for me,’ she explained. ‘I have no idea how the doctor might have reacted to my letter, but I do have faith that God can work any miracle and he can change any heart.’ 

READ COURTNEY BAKER’S FULL LETTER TO HER DOCTOR

Dear Doctor,

A friend recently told me of when her prenatal specialist would see her child during her sonograms, he would comment, ‘He’s perfect’. Once her son was born with Down syndrome, she visited that same doctor. He looked at her little boy and said, ‘I told you. He’s perfect’.

Her story tore me apart. While I was so grateful for my friend’s experience, it filled me with such sorrow because of what I should have had. I wish you would have been that doctor.

I came to you during the most difficult time in my life. I was terrified, anxious and in complete despair. I didn’t know the truth yet about my baby, and that’s what I desperately needed from you. But instead of support and encouragement, you suggested we terminate our child. I told you her name, and you asked us again if we understood how low our quality of life would be with a child with Down syndrome. You suggested we reconsider our decision to continue the pregnancy.

From that first visit, we dreaded our appointments. The most difficult time in my life was made nearly unbearable because you never told me the truth.

My child was perfect.

I’m not angry. I’m not bitter. I’m really just sad. I’m sad the tiny beating hearts you see every day don’t fill you with a perpetual awe. I’m sad the intricate details and the miracle of those sweet little fingers and toes, lungs and eyes and ears don’t always give you pause. I’m sad you were so very wrong to say a baby with Down syndrome would decrease our quality of life. And I’m heartbroken you might have said that to a mommy even today. But I’m mostly sad you’ll never have the privilege of knowing my daughter, Emersyn.

Because, you see, Emersyn has not only added to our quality of life, she’s touched the hearts of thousands. She’s given us a purpose and a joy that is impossible to express. She’s given us bigger smiles, more laughter and sweeter kisses than we’ve ever known. She’s opened our eyes to true beauty and pure love.

So my prayer is that no other mommy will have to go through what I did. My prayer is that you, too, will now see true beauty and pure love with every sonogram. And my prayer is when you see that next baby with Down syndrome lovingly tucked in her mother’s womb, you will look at that mommy and see me then tell her the truth: ‘Your child is absolutely perfect.’