When doctors discovered that a husband and wife from North Carolina were expecting conjoined twins, they offered to abort the pregnancy, but the expectant parents weren’t willing to heed that advice.
“To us it wasn’t an option. These children are our children they were given to us for a purpose…to protect them,” dad Jason Kroeger told WXIX-TV. “Abortion was never an option.”
So, Jason and his wife, Heather — who already have five children ranging in age from 4 to 17 — decided to forge on with the pregnancy. Heather delivered the babies at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center on Sept. 5.
Their conjoined sons, Elijah and Isaac, have some speed bumps to overcome, but WXIX reported that their condition is better than initially expected.
A GoFundMe page aimed at raising funds to help the family, describes how doctors repeatedly recommended abortion, but how Jason and Heather rebuffed those promptings.
“It is no surprise that they have been advised several times throughout the pregnancy to abort these two little precious souls. They rejected such a thought right out of hand,” a description on the page reads. “We are asking you to consider giving a donation to help this young couple who has been faithful to God’s plan for life and love.”
The GoFundMe, which aims to raise $25,000, goes on to note that the couple has inspired many people by showcasing their “trust in God and love for these babies.”
Find out more about the family’s plight here.