Emmerdale heartbreak as Laurel and Jai face devastating abortion storyline

Emmerdale is to feature an ­emotional storyline about a couple aborting their baby as it has Down’s Syndrome.

Series producer Laura Shaw described the episodes as “the most heartbreaking viewers will have ever seen”.

Laurel Thomas, played by Charlotte Bellamy, and partner Jai Sharman (Chris Bisson) find her pregnancy is not ­developing well and doctors offer them a test for ­chromosome defects.

When the results show the tot has Down’s, they decide against keeping it.

Charlotte, 47, said: “Terminating a pregnancy is an emotive subject, but I think what Emmerdale does ­brilliantly is portray ­difficult stories.”

Laura added: “It was the most ­challenging and difficult writing our team had been tasked with.”

Antenatal Results and Choices charity helped with the story.

Director Jane Fisher said: “We are pleased Emmerdale is ­tackling this story in such an empathetic way.”

Around 5,000 women a year have terminations due to ­fetal chromosome defects.

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Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/emmerdale-heartbreak-laurel-jai-face-22959133