Surrogate Child Whose Mother Refused to Abort Dies at Age 8

In 2012, Crystal Kelley was carrying a surrogate child when she and the biological parents learned that the child would have "severe medical problems." This prompted the biological parents to ask Kelley to abort, but she refused. The drama surrounding their argument became a national news story. On July 15, a full 8 years after Seraphina Harrell's birth, she died due to a combination of infection and complications from a needed surgery.

Throughout her pregnancy, Seraphina's biological parents told Kelley that they would not agree to parent the child if she did not abort, offered her $10,000 to abort the child, and even said they would change their minds and take the Seraphina after she was born just to turn around and surrender her to the state of Connecticut.

Kelley went into hiding to complete her pregnancy, and then offered the child up for adoption to a family that had already adopted several special needs children, and were well-experienced to provide for another.

During her life, Seraphina had multiple heart surgeries. She could not speak or walk, but she used a wheelchair and American Sign Language. In spite of all this, Seraphina's adoptive family attests that she had a big personality at their house.

“Seraphina’s larger than life personality only grew throughout her life, and you never had to guess what she was thinking or feeling,” her loved ones wrote in her obituary.

“She couldn’t walk by herself, but she persisted in turning everyone in the house into her personal mobility assistants. She couldn’t eat, but that never stopped her from insisting on her own plate of food to be part of the gang.”

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