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The woman, who has launched the action against Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust along with her partner, said she would have chosen a termination if she had known the condition of her baby who suffers from severe disabilities including Cri-du-chat syndrome. Case papers just made publicly available at the High Court in London accuse the trust of negligence. The papers say that the trust has admitted liability for failing to take accurate measurements during pre-natal tests at the hospital in Dorchester, and accepts that the condition of Cri-du-chat should have been diagnosed during the pregnancy, leading to the woman choosing a termination.
Cri-du-chat syndrome, also known as 5p- syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder caused by a missing piece of chromosome 5, which can lead to a high-pitched, cat-like cry, and other developmental delays. The court papers also say that the woman was 35 when she became pregnant for a second time, and underwent tests to screen for anomalies over many months at Dorset County Hospital, during the Covid-19 pandemic. They say that her 12-week scan took place when she was 14 weeks and six days pregnant, too late to screen for the rare syndrome, and they say she had an elevated risk of giving birth to a baby with Down’s Syndrome.
The baby girl was born on February 21 2021, at 38 weeks’ gestation, and taken to the neonatal unit. Tests later confirmed she had Cri-du-chat syndrome. The trust is said to have admitted breach of duty and to have admitted that if Cri-du-chat syndrome had been diagnosed, the woman would have been offered and accepted a termination.
The woman says she underwent the pain and suffering of continuing with the pregnancy, delivering her baby, and psychological consequences, and that both parents suffered loss and damage. A Dorset County Hospital spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on active court proceedings.”.
