Eight months pregnant, Emma Whitaker never imagined a family lunch would end with her falling down the stairs while her sister stood above her pretending it was an accident.

But what hurt even more than the fall was realizing her parents cared more about protecting her sister than saving her unborn baby.

Pain exploded through Emma’s back so suddenly she didn’t even understand what had happened.

One moment she stood near the staircase in her parents’ Ohio home, one hand resting on the banister and the other over her pregnant belly.