Emmerdale SPOILER: Laurel and Jai terminate their pregnancy after prenatal Down’s Syndrome diagnosis

Emmerdale’s Laurel Thomas and Jai Sharma are set to make the heartbreaking decision to terminate their pregnancy after learning their unborn child has Down’s Syndrome.

Spoilers for the ITV soap reveal that in coming weeks, Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) will discover she is pregnant, and though she and Jai (Chris Bisson) are surprised by the baby news, they are excited to grow their blended family.

However, the couple are soon faced with the extremely difficult choice to end their pregnancy following a prenatal diagnosis.

The upcoming winter storyline will see the couple attending their first scan together, but their excitement soon turns to worry as they are told that everything is not as it should be.

They’re informed that the pregnancy is not developing as expected and that there is a chance their baby may have a chromosomal condition.

As Laurel and Jai return to the village devastated, the drama continues as they grapple with their emotions and whether to go ahead with a CVS (chorionic villus sampling) test, which will determine chromosomal or genetic disorders in a fetus.

And following many agonising and tearful conversations, the couple go ahead with the CVS test, with results later confirming their baby has Down’s syndrome.

Impending scenes in the village will see Laurel and Jai share some very deep and emotional heart-to-heart’s, before coming to the devastation decision not to continue with their pregnancy.

Laurel, like many women across the UK facing the same painful experience, goes ahead with the termination.

The plot is set to continue to play out on screen and depict the couples sense of loss, devastation and upset following the ending of the pregnancy.     

According to statistics, annually around 40,000 are told that there is a possibility their unborn child will not develop as expected. 

And while many are reassured and will go ahead with the pregnancy, around 5,000 women every year make the heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy after learning of the baby’s genetic or physical condition.   

On the poignant storyline, Emmerdale said: ‘The Emmerdale story team felt it was a story that needed to be told. With the support and guidance of Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) we endeavour to ensure this story will be sensitively told whilst reflecting the reality many couples face.’

Meanwhile actress Charlotte Bellamy, who plays Laurel, said of the storyline: ‘Terminating a pregnancy is an emotive subject, but I think as a programme what Emmerdale does brilliantly is portray difficult stories that are important to tell. 

‘The statistics tell us that a majority of people faced with similar news resulting from a diagnostic test, do take this decision. So I hope Laurel and Jai’s story will take the audience on the journey of them coming to this conclusion and having some understanding why they do.’

She continued: ‘There are some very powerfully written scenes that I hope will give a fair portrayal of their situation. When I embarked on this storyline I was well aware of the responsibility of the subject matter, but the scripts have been so well written and I think the story is told fairly.’ 

While Series Producer Laura Shaw commented: ‘Right from the moment the idea was first mooted for this storyline, we knew it was one that if we went ahead with, it had to be fully researched, which involved us speaking to medical professionals, charities and parents with lived experience. 

‘Listening to women and men telling us their stories, hearing what brought them to make the difficult decision to terminate their pregnancies, cemented for us that this was a topic rarely shown on soap, but a really important one to highlight.’

She went on: ‘Translating what we had learnt into Emmerdale scripts led to what was arguably the most challenging and difficult writing our writing team had ever been tasked with. 

‘What we have produced and Charlotte and Chris have both brilliantly brought to life, is some of the most heartbreaking and emotional episodes of Emmerdale viewers will have ever seen.’

In addition, Jane Fisher, Director of Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) said of the plot: ‘We have over 30 years’ experience of supporting women and their partners through the painful circumstances of ending a wanted pregnancy after a prenatal diagnosis. 

‘Thousands of parents go through this every year, but it is rarely spoken about. This can lead to bereaved parents feeling very isolated in their grief. We are really pleased that such a popular drama as Emmerdale is tackling this story in such an empathetic and thoughtful way.

‘I have been particularly impressed by how they have valued input from us to help make sure it is as true as possible to the complex reality for couples. It won’t make for easy viewing but will do much to break the silence around this sensitive topic.’

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7pm on ITV.