'It was not a way out. It was heartbreaking... the government doesn't belong here:' Photographer, 28, reveals why she chose to abort her sick baby after 23 weeks in response to Donald Trump's pro-life stance 

  • Lindsey Paradiso, 28, shared her tragic story of having an abortion at 23 weeks
  • The Virginia-based photographer realized something was not right in her pregnancy
  • At 18 weeks, doctors noticed a large mass growing around the baby's neck 
  • She continued on with her pregnancy, but weeks later realized Omara had a one per cent chance of surviving 
  • The couple decided to go through with an abortion through lethal injection 

By Karen Ruiz For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:02 EST, 5 February 2017 | Updated: 15:04 EST, 5 February 2017

A woman has shared a heartbreaking story of her late term abortion in response to Donald Trump's controversial pro-life stance.

Lindsey Paradiso, 28,  from Fredericksburg, Virginia, took to Facebook in October to share pictures of her decision to terminate her pregnancy at 23 weeks.

After doctors realized her unborn daughter Omara, had a life-threatening tumor, Lindsey decided to pull the plug.

Lindsey Paradiso(pictured with husband Matt) from Fredericksburg, Virginia, took to Facebook in October to share pictures of her decision to have an abortion after her daughter was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor 

'This is ending a wanted pregnancy. This is late-term abortion. It was not wanted. It was not a 'way out'. It was not birth control. The government does not belong here,' she said. 

The post has since gone viral with more than 113,000 shares and 85,000 likes. 

The Virginia-based photographer and her husband Matt Paradiso were excited to know they were expecting a child, but at 18 weeks, Lindsey realized something was wrong with her pregnancy.

During an ultrasound, doctors learned there was a large mass growing out around baby Omara's neck. 

It was determined the fetus had a rare tumor called teratoma, but Lindsey continued on with her pregnancy hoping it would be operable after she gave birth. 

Baby Omara had a rare tumor called teratoma, but Lindsey continued on with her pregnancy hoping it would be operable after she gave birth (Lindsey and Matt pictured holding Omara after was delivered) 

During a routine checkup at 18 weeks, doctors realized something Omara had a large mass growing around her neck 

After Donald Trump spoke out against abortion, Lindsey took to Facebook to tell her story. The post has since gone viral with more than 113,000 shares and 85,000 likes

Weeks later, the baby's tumor had doubled in size and began to spread even further into her chest, according to her blog. The growth was determined to be aggressive lymphangioma, and Omara had a one per cent chance of surviving. 

Doctors advised her to terminate the pregnancy as they warned the aggressive tumor would eventually kill Omara in the womb, before Lindsey could reach 27 weeks. The mass would also have been too large to deliver vaginally.

'He said it would probably be in our best interest to terminate the pregnancy since the chances of her dying were pretty inevitable. He then said that he would leave us to process and discuss what we want to do. 

'Matt and I both immediately broke down. We didn't want our baby to die and we most certainly didn't want to kill her,' she wrote in her blog. 

The couple decided to go through with an abortion through lethal injection, and Omara's heart stopped beating on February 26. Lindsey said she decided to 'relieve the suffering' that baby and the family were experiencing and 'deliver her through labor fully intact.'

The couple decided to go through with an abortion through lethal injection, and Omara's heart stopped beating on February 26, Lindsey gave birth two days later

The Virginia woman posted heartbreaking pictures of her daughter's blanket and the site where she is buried 

The couple decided to 'relieve the suffering' that baby and the family were experiencing and 'deliver her through labor fully intact' (pictured at Omara's funeral) 

If she had carried her pregnancy to full term, 'past the window of a legal abortion,' the baby could've died in the womb and Lindsey would have had to deliver it months later, she said. 

The couple traveled more than an hour away to a hospital for the procedure because of Virginia's strict abortion laws. After 40 hours of labor, the baby was delivered two days after she died.

If she had carried her pregnancy to full term  the baby could've died in the womb and Lindsey would have had to deliver it months later

Abortion is legal in the state only during the first and second trimesters, but is only available at certain hospitals after 14 weeks. 

Lindsey and Matt were able to hold Omara, before saying goodbye. 

Month's later, she was prompted to share her story after Donald Trump describe the issue of late-term abortions during a presidential debate. 

'His words made me physically sick; having lived through a late-term abortion myself. I could not let his idiocracy go unchallenged and watch it painfully affect so many people,' she said. 

She added: 'When politicians like Trump and Pence spread their intolerance for giving women a choice, we make these very difficult situations so much more difficult for not just the mother, but everyone involved.' 

After her post went viral, Lindsey is now an activist for a pro-choice organizations spreading awareness for reproductive rights. 

After her post went viral, Lindsey is now an activist for a pro-choice organizations spreading awareness for reproductive rights

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