Pop Culture·By Nancy Flanders
Actress aborts baby after diagnosis: ‘No mom should ever be put in this place’
Actress Justene Alpert recently shared that she and her husband, Mason Trueblood, aborted their son, Mads Mason, in December after he received a “rare genetic” diagnosis. Though no specific health condition was mentioned in her social media post, Alpert’s description of the trauma serves as proof that pushing parents toward induced abortion is an injustice to them and their children
Key Takeaways:
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Actress Justene Alpert and her husband received a genetic diagnosis for their son during her second trimester of pregnancy. They were told their baby would not “make it to full term.”
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In an Instagram post, Alpert described the agony she and her husband were put through by their doctors, who urged them to immediately abort their son
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Alpert and her husband were robbed of cherished moments with their son by a medical establishment that devalues certain children, that sees them as medical complications instead of people
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No parent should be put in such a situation to where they are told the merciful thing to do is to kill their own child. They deserve emotional support
The Details:
Justene Alpert, who is known for her roles on 9-1-1 and Bosch, wrote in a June 25th Instagram post that on December 22, 2025, “my happiness and … light were taken from me.” She was entering the second trimester of a pregnancy she had just begun to announce when she received a call that her baby had a genetic condition and “wasn’t going to make it to full term.”
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It’s hard to swallow this news because I was looking at his little heart beating on the screen. He had the most beautiful profile. He had his dad’s nose. I was ready for him. But then they pointed out the fluid, the organs, etc…. The specialist spoke to us not only about our baby’s condition but the high risks that I would be subjected to as a woman my age. In situations like this I’ve always been a ‘shoot it to me straight’ kinda gal. And then I heard the phrase that I never imagined hearing when we were ready to have a family. “We highly recommend that you terminate this pregnancy and we need to do it quickly if so.”
It is unacceptable and cruel for medical professionals to utter such words to parents
Alpert is 36, and any “risk” that exists “due to her age” would exist whether her baby had received a diagnosis or not. Telling her she had to immediately abort her baby or she would be in danger makes little sense. Without the diagnosis, her doctors would have helped her through her pregnancy. With the diagnosis, suddenly her body was incapable of carrying to term, and they were incapable of doing their jobs to care for both mother and child. Why?
Alpert doesn’t explain which test indicated a genetic condition, but early testing (often inaccurate) or even more advanced testing can be wrong. Let’s not forget, doctors can be wrong too. They can say a child won’t survive a pregnancy, but that’s not a guarantee
Alpert continued:
Just then the light that was in me blew out. I almost describe the quickness as if you were standing on the side of the road and an F1 car flew by you. Your hair, immediately flipped up and slapped against your face so that when you try to look out, all you see are the infinite strands of hair that once outlined your face. That fast. Gone
A decision that shouldn’t exist
She added:
We didn’t want to have to make this decision. No mom or dad should ever have to be put in this place. The shame and guilt is unfair. Having to do this is something that is rarely spoken of and seems to not have the same kind of empathy as other situations. It’s the worst pain and many suffer silently out of fear of being judged or simply misunderstood
She’s right: “No mom or dad should ever have to be put in this place.” No parent should be told they have to end their child’s life at all, let alone “quickly.”
The trauma of that will never go away. No time to absorb the news, no time to process, no time for second opinions, no time to find organizations like Be Not Afraid, no time to learn that carrying to term would be a huge gift and blessing and, statistically speaking, much better for Alpert’s own mental health
So why do doctors put parents in this position?
There is no medical reason to intentionally end anyone’s life, including that of a child in the womb. If Alpert’s life was actually at risk, preterm delivery would be the moral, compassionate, and medically appropriate response. It’s unclear how Mads’ life was ended, but options at the start of the second trimester include D&E dismemberment, D&C suction, or forced labor either before or after injecting the baby with a feticide to cause cardiac arrest
Research shows that having an abortion after a prenatal diagnosis frequently leads to worse mental health outcomes for mothers than carrying to term
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A study found that women who have undergone an abortion due to a fetal diagnosis “ultimately felt as if they were betraying themselves and their children.” However, those who carried to term shared feelings of closure and peace
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The Journal of Clinical Ethics reported that 97.5% of parents who chose to carry to term rather than abort did not regret the decision. “Parents valued the baby as a part of their family and had opportunities to love, hold, meet, and cherish their child,” it explained
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In addition, according to Perinatal Hospice and Palliative Care, which provides reesearch shows that women who have an abortion following a prenatal diagnosis suffer “physical and emotional pain, with psychosocial and reproductive consequences.”
The “choice” to abort is a disservice to families. It’s not an “easy fix.” It is killing the most vulnerable members of those families
‘The grief and trauma’
Alpert spoke to this when she told other moms who may be in that position:
It’s okay NOT to be okay. Bawling? Normal. Throwing up from the grief and trauma? Didn’t know this. Normal. If we’re being honest again, Mason and I desperately prayed for either a miracle or a miscarriage. Never had that on my bingo card. Still feels unreal
Being told she had to kill her baby was unnatural and very much not normal. It added to the trauma of the diagnosis. It added to the grief and the guilt she already felt that her baby was not healthy
Why It Matters:
Alpert wrote to Mads, saying:
To our baby boy, Mads Mason Trueblood, thank you for making me a mom. You are the one who gave me the backbone when I was doubting if I was ready to be a mom or not. Boy oh boy, kiddo. I was ready for you. I was ready to bling out a jersey with your number on it, to teach you how to play rough when your dad would walk away after his safety speech, to have a tiny protector, to give you so many hugs and kisses to. I was ready to be yours
Alpert could have been and should have been encouraged to welcome Mads for who he was, ‘genetic condition’ and all
She should have been told that she would get to hold him and love him at birth, and she should have been encouraged to fight for any chance at life for him
Without knowing the diagnosis, it’s impossible to know what that would look like. Maybe Mads would not have survived after birth, but Alpert wouldn’t have been the one to choose to end his life
She should have been told that she would be able to love him if his life were indeed short. She should have been told how much peace that would bring her
She was robbed of cherished moments with her son by a medical establishment that devalues certain children, that sees them as medical complications instead of people, that believes these children are better off dead when a doctor’s job is to find their patients the best care possible for a good life, no matter how short that life may be
Alpert and her family deserved better. Every family deserves better
Go Deeper:
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Be Not Afraid can connect parents to parent care coordinators to help them navigate a prenatal diagnosis
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Perinatal Hospice & Palliative Care offers support for families and their babies who may die before or after birth
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Mom who embraced baby’s life despite life-limiting diagnosis now helps others do the same
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