Anti- abortion law is a law that has been recently established in some US states - however, most states in the US are yet to adopt it. Due to this law, a heavily pregnant woman was forced to give birth to an infant with no skull - a condition called 'Anencephaly'.
What is anencephaly?
Anencephaly is a serious birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. It is a type of neural tube defect (NTD). As the neural tube forms and closes, it helps form the baby’s brain and skull (upper part of the neural tube), spinal cord, and back bones (lower part of the neural tube).
Occurrence
Center For Disease Control CDC in America estimates that each year, about 3 pregnancies in every 10,000 in the United States will have anencephaly. This means about 1,206 pregnancies are affected by these conditions each year in the United States.
Causes and Prevention
The causes of anencephaly among most infants are unknown. Some babies have anencephaly because of a change in their genes or chromosomes. Anencephaly might also be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as the things the mother comes in contact with in the environment or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medicines she uses during pregnancy.
Diagnosis
Anencephaly can be diagnosed during pregnancy or after the baby is born.
. During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, there are screening tests (prenatal tests) to check for birth defects and other conditions. Anencephaly would result in an abnormal result on a blood or serum screening test or it might be seen during an ultrasound (which creates pictures of the body).
. After the Baby is Born
In some cases, anencephaly might not be diagnosed until after the baby is born. Anencephaly is immediately seen at birth.
Treatments
There is no known cure or standard treatment for anencephaly. Almost all babies born with anencephaly will die shortly after birth.