An aborted baby survived for 80 minutes while hospital staff watched, a coroner’s court in Darwin, Australia, was told April 10, 2000.
The baby was born alive in 1998 after being induced the coroner said. Nurses covered the baby, made her as comfortable as possible, and waited for her to die, the Sydney Morning Herald said.
The midwife, Carrie Williams, told the court when she telephoned Dr. Kai Man Henry Cho, director of the Royal Darwin Hospital obstetrics and gynecology department, and reported the baby was alive, he said, “So?” and offered no instructions about the baby’s care.
The coroner said hospitals should establish procedures to ensure babies who survive abortions are immediately assessed for age and likelihood of survival; deaths after such live births should be documented and reported to his office.
“The deceased, having been born alive, deserved all the dignity, respect, and value that our society places on human life,” the coroner said. “The fact this birth was unexpected, and not the desired outcome of the medical procedure, should not result in her, and babies like her, being perceived as anything less than a complete human being.”
Margaret Tighe, chairwoman of Right to Life Australia, hoped the baby’s short life might serve to remind others that unborn babies are “as deserving of their right to life as are all others.”
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Source/Attribution: religiontoday.crosswalk.com; ReligionToday News Summary, Wednesday, 12 April 2000; SIEW