The Survival of Babies after Abortion

Leonardo da Vinci, Studies of Foetus in a Womb

Saint Mary Magdalen, Brighton, UK has a post on the phenomenon of what happens to babies who survive the abortion process.

The issue came to prominence in the United Kingdom about November 2005. At the time there was promised various studies by professional organisations into the little known fact that One in 30 babies aborted for medical reasons is born alive.They lived for an average of 80 minutes - although in some cases babies survived for over six hours.

Nothing happened until now.

The Evening Standard: This is London has now reported on what the studies have shown.

Extract:

"Researchers looked at the outcome of 3,189 abortions performed on seriously handicapped foetuses at 20 hospitals between 1995 and 2004.

It showed that 102 - or around one in 30 - aborted for reasons such as Down's Syndrome and heart defects, were born alive.

Abortions are allowed to be carried out if the pregnancy is shown to have an adverse effect on the mental health and wellbeing of the mother up until the 24th week of pregnancy.

Beyond this point, the procedure is only sanctioned if the baby has a severe disability or if the mother's life is at risk.

The latest study, carried out by experts from the West Midlands Perinatal Institute and published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, showed that three per cent of aborted disabled babies were born alive.

...

While there is no suggestion that any of the babies documented in the West Midlands study lived for more than a few hours, doctors in Norwich are currently treating a toddler born at 24 weeks after three botched terminations.

He was born three years ago and is still alive.

Campaigners said it was likely the Midlands figures were just the tip of the iceberg as the region only accounts for around a tenth of the babies born in the country each year.

In addition, the study only looked at babies whose lives were ended because of disability.

However, most abortions are carried out on 'healthy' babies for social reasons. Julia Millington of the pro-life group Alive and Kicking said: "This can't just be happening in the West Midlands. ...

Thirty years ago, Gianna Jessen's mother had an abortion when seven-and-a-half months pregnant.

The abortion failed and, 18 hours later, Gianna was born alive.

She suffered cerebral palsy as a result of the botched abortion, yet has defied doctors' predictions that she would never walk.

In fact she has run a marathon, is an accomplished singer and writer and travels the world to campaign against abortion."