Emmerdale characters Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) and Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) are set to face an agonising decision about their unborn baby next week.
Viewers already know that, ultimately, they will choose to terminate the pregnancy when they’re told it is developing with Down’s syndrome.
But new Emmerdale spoilers reveal that the difficult decisions start next week after a consultant delivers them some worrying news.
Laurel and Jai leave early to head to their private scan.
When they get to the hospital, the sonographer predicts that Laurel is 12 weeks pregnant but brings a colleague in to confirm.
The senior consultant comes in and they explain that judging from the scan, it appears that Laurel and Jai’s baby will have some sort of chromosomal syndrome.
Laurel frets about taking more tests for the baby (Image: ITV)
They ask whether or not the couple would like to perform more tests to confirm their suspicions.
Laurel and Jai are left upset by the revelation, and Jai tries to remain positive to help Laurel, who is crushed.
The next day, Laurel is still fretting over the scan results.
Meanwhile, an oblivious Arthur (Alfie Clarke) makes some disparaging comments about one of the teachers at school who is pregnant.
Jai tries to stay calm for Laurel’s sake (Image: ITV)
His words cause Laurel to snap and react badly.
Jai soon realises that Laurel is stressing out about the potentially dangerous CVS test.
The couple debate about whether or not to take the test, aware that they could be risking their baby’s life if they do.
But the next day, Laurel and Jai get ready for their next hospital appointment, both worried about what the outcome might be.
The ITV soap has already faced backlash about the storyline, with viewers not happy that they will choose to abort the baby.
However producer Laure Shaw has said: “As a producer, I’m always nervous about any story that we produce to be honest, but definitely more so when you know that it’s going to be quite contentious and people are going to have some really strong views. I suppose that’s why it’s such an important story to tell.
“What do I hope viewers will take away from it? I just hope they’ll take away that what we’ve shown isn’t about right or wrong. It isn’t about whether you agree or not, it’s just about people making really difficult decisions and they should be allowed to do that without living in fear of being judged or shamed.
“What you’ll see in Jai and Laurel’s case is how their decision affects their lives for years to come.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays, on ITV
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
