50 babies born alive after abortion

[cmotherofpirl]

Fifty babies a year are alive after abortion
Lois Rogers



A GOVERNMENT agency is launching an inquiry into doctors’ reports that up to 50 babies a year are born alive after botched National Health Service abortions.
The investigation, by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), comes amid growing unease among clinicians over a legal ambiguity that could see them being charged with infanticide.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which regulates methods of abortion, has also mounted its own investigation.

Its guidelines say that babies aborted after more than 21 weeks and six days of gestation should have their hearts stopped by an injection of potassium chloride before being delivered. In practice, few doctors are willing or able to perform the delicate procedure.

For the abortion of younger foetuses, labour is induced by drugs in the expectation that the infant will not survive the birth process. Guidelines say that doctors should ensure that the drugs they use prevent such babies being alive at birth.

In practice, according to Stuart Campbell, former professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at St George’s hospital, London, a number do survive.

“They can be born breathing and crying at 19 weeks’ gestation,” he said. “I am not anti-abortion, but as far as I am concerned this is sub-standard medicine.”

The number of terminations carried out in the 18th week of pregnancy or later has risen from 5,166 in 1994 to 7,432 last year. Prenatal diagnosis for conditions such as Down’s syndrome is increasing and foetuses with the condition are routinely aborted, even though many might be capable of leading fulfilling lives. In the past decade, doctors’ skill in saving the lives of premature babies has improved radically: at least 70%-80% of babies in their 23rd or 24th week of gestation now survive long-term.

Abortion on demand is allowed in Britain up to 24 weeks — more than halfway through a normal pregnancy and the highest legal limit for such terminations in Europe. France and Germany permit “social” abortions only up to the 10th and 12th weeks respectively.

Doctors are increasingly uneasy about aborting babies who could be born alive. “If viability is the basis on which they set the 24-week limit for abortion, then the simplest answer is to change the law and reduce the upper limit to 18 weeks,” said Campbell, who last year published a book showing images of foetuses’ facial expressions and “walking” movements taken with a form of 3-D ultrasound.

The Department of Health was alerted three months ago to the issue of babies surviving failed terminations. In August clinicians in Manchester published an analysis of 31 such babies born in northwest England between 1996 and 2001.

“If a baby is born alive following a failed abortion and then dies (because of lack of care), you could potentially be charged with murder,” said Shantala Vadeyar, a consultant obstetrician at South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, who led the study.

A systematic investigation of data collected through the CEMACH indicated that there are at least 50 cases a year nationwide in which babies survive abortion attempts.

“First sight of our data suggests this is happening,” said Shona Golightly, the agency’s research director. She said official confirmation of the figures would be available next year.

It is not known how many babies who survive attempted abortions go on to live into adulthood.

[Myles Domini]

Sancta Maria Mater Dei Ora Pro Nobis

[Guest T-Bone]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Nov 28 2005, 10:05 AM']Fifty babies a year are alive after abortion
Lois Rogers



A GOVERNMENT agency is launching an inquiry into doctors’ reports that up to 50 babies a year are born alive after botched National Health Service abortions.
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I really wouldn't call a medical procedure in which all the "participants" survive [i]botched[/i].

[Sirklawd]

this happens alot. my mom was just telling me stories (shes a nurse) how they pretty much just leave the babies on a table and let them die.

welcome to the 21st century. our progress is great indeed!

[Kilroy the Ninja]

Don John's father survived abortion. Don John's Dad (and his twin brother) were "aborted" because Don John's grandmother developed eclampsia during the pregnancy. Nobody was more surprised than her that they lived.

[Sojourner]

My friend Rhonda and her twin were aborted. Rhonda lived; her twin did not.

[Semalsia]

I'm not sure I understand what their problem is. I mean what's the difference between killing it in the womb and right outside?

And how does one actually survive abortion? Isn't that like surviving murder? Ok fine, it's a failed abortion, but shouldn't it be obvious if it has been a failure?

[Ash Wednesday]

The story was on the front page of the Times here -- with a large picture of a fetus with the story.

Pro-choicers would like to believe that history will equate legalized abortion with some other noble social justice issue, like civil rights for minorities. So far, that isn't the case. Over 30 years later and the issue still makes people uncomfortable -- which it should, at the very least.

[photosynthesis]

my friend tracy is a survivor of abortion.

i suppose we are all "survivors," all of us born in the last 30 or so years.

[Socrates]

[quote name='Semalsia' date='Nov 28 2005, 05:38 PM']I'm not sure I understand what their problem is. I mean what's the difference between killing it in the womb and right outside?
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None whatsoever, morally. Killing a baby is killing a baby, regardless where it is.
However, I think legally the baby's life is protected once it's entirely outside the womb.

But you've pretty much gotten to the heart of the reality of abortion. It's really no different than infanticide.

[Socrates]

[quote name='photosynthesis' date='Nov 28 2005, 08:50 PM']i suppose we are all "survivors," all of us born in the last 30 or so years.
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While I understand the purpose of this type of rhetoric, I really don't like the way it's used by pro-lifers. ("be glad your mother chose life').

It implies that my mother might've decided to kill me.

[littleflower+JMJ]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Nov 28 2005, 11:05 AM']Fifty babies a year are alive after abortion
Lois Rogers



A GOVERNMENT agency is launching an inquiry into doctors’ reports that up to 50 babies a year are born alive after botched National Health Service abortions.
The investigation, by the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), comes amid growing unease among clinicians over a legal ambiguity that could see them being charged with infanticide.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which regulates methods of abortion, has also mounted its own investigation.

Its guidelines say that babies aborted after more than 21 weeks and six days of gestation should have their hearts stopped by an injection of potassium chloride before being delivered. In practice, few doctors are willing or able to perform the delicate procedure.

For the abortion of younger foetuses, labour is induced by drugs in the expectation that the infant will not survive the birth process. Guidelines say that doctors should ensure that the drugs they use prevent such babies being alive at birth.

In practice, according to Stuart Campbell, former professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at St George’s hospital, London, a number do survive.

“They can be born breathing and crying at 19 weeks’ gestation,” he said. “I am not anti-abortion, but as far as I am concerned this is sub-standard medicine.”

The number of terminations carried out in the 18th week of pregnancy or later has risen from 5,166 in 1994 to 7,432 last year. Prenatal diagnosis for conditions such as Down’s syndrome is increasing and foetuses with the condition are routinely aborted, even though many might be capable of leading fulfilling lives. In the past decade, doctors’ skill in saving the lives of premature babies has improved radically: at least 70%-80% of babies in their 23rd or 24th week of gestation now survive long-term.

Abortion on demand is allowed in Britain up to 24 weeks — more than halfway through a normal pregnancy and the highest legal limit for such terminations in Europe. France and Germany permit “social” abortions only up to the 10th and 12th weeks respectively.

Doctors are increasingly uneasy about aborting babies who could be born alive. “If viability is the basis on which they set the 24-week limit for abortion, then the simplest answer is to change the law and reduce the upper limit to 18 weeks,” said Campbell, who last year published a book showing images of foetuses’ facial expressions and “walking” movements taken with a form of 3-D ultrasound.

The Department of Health was alerted three months ago to the issue of babies surviving failed terminations. In August clinicians in Manchester published an analysis of 31 such babies born in northwest England between 1996 and 2001.

“If a baby is born alive following a failed abortion and then dies (because of lack of care), you could potentially be charged with murder,” said Shantala Vadeyar, a consultant obstetrician at South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, who led the study.

A systematic investigation of data collected through the CEMACH indicated that there are at least 50 cases a year nationwide in which babies survive abortion attempts.

“First sight of our data suggests this is happening,” said Shona Golightly, the agency’s research director. She said official confirmation of the figures would be available next year.

It is not known how many babies who survive attempted abortions go on to live into adulthood.
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[photosynthesis]

[quote name='Socrates' date='Nov 28 2005, 09:01 PM']While I understand the purpose of this type of rhetoric, I really don't like the way it's used by pro-lifers.  ("be glad your mother chose life').

It implies that my mother might've decided to kill me.
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[/quote]
That's not what I was saying, though. The truth is that a large percentage of people in my generation never even got a chance to be born. As far as your mom goes, I am not going to go there... But I know that the mothers of my generation would have been less likely to make that decision if Roe vs. Wade didn't make abortion legal and if abortion was more socailly unacceptable.

I'm sorry if you got that impression from what I was saying.

[Socrates]

[quote name='photosynthesis' date='Nov 29 2005, 07:12 PM']That's not what I was saying, though.  The truth is that a large percentage of people in my generation never even got a chance to be born.  As far as your mom goes, I am not going to go there...  But I know that the mothers of my generation would have been less likely to make that decision if Roe vs. Wade didn't make abortion legal and if abortion was more socailly unacceptable.

I'm sorry if you got that impression from what I was saying.
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I know what you're saying. I was just saying this is a particular common line of pro-life rhetoric that isn't my favorite.

[DAF]

Forgive me if this is a bit vulgar to ask, but what do they do with the bodies of the babies after they've been "delivered"? They can't just wrap it in a towel and throw it in the dumpster out back...can/do they?

Edited November 30, 2005 by DAF