Editor's note: The Queensland Parliament is studying a bill which would require doctors, midwives and nurses to care for babies born alive after abortions. This move is being fiercely opposed by pro-choice advocates because it would tarnish the image of abortion as healthcare. They say that babies are almost never born alive after abortions because feticide is standard practice -- babies in late-term abortion are given a lethal injection in the womb.
How often this happens is a matter of dispute. It is uncommon, but it does seem to happen about 30 times a year in Queensland. That’s not a trivial number. As Queensland MP Stephen Andrew remarked: “If you put it in terms of planes, if you lose 30 out of the thousands of flights we have every year then you would have to reconsider flying.”
Last week, the star witness for the Termination of Pregnancy (Live Births) Amendment Bill 2024 was Louise Adsett, a midwife with 14 years’ experience. This is an excerpt from her testimony.
This article was originally published on Mercator under a Creative Commons Licence and is reprinted with permission.
(Mercator) Over the last few years, however, the midwives within [our] unit have been required to provide care for women who do not want their babies, and the fact is that these babies are perfectly healthy, with no abnormalities. These are social terminations or psychosocial or for financial reasons, and because of the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 women can access a termination at any gestation for any reason. The only difference is that after 22+1 weeks of gestation there must be two medical officers to approve the abortion and the baby is killed by feticide and delivered by the midwives as stillborn.
I am a conscientious objector when it comes to providing care for women aborting their babies; however, I have provided care for many women who have unfortunately lost their babies at similar gestations to those who are now getting abortions for any reason at any gestation. I am also happy to make myself available to hold the baby who is born alive after an abortion.
Sadly, in the birth suite unit in my hospital work where every new birth is celebrated and protected, there has been an increase in the number of social terminations at later gestations, and this is now common. We have had babies born alive after terminations from 15 to 22 weeks—born alive, gasping for air, moving and having a palpable heart rate, fighting for their lives as we are humans designed to do.
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From what I have directly witnessed or been told by my colleagues, we have been present at the time these babies were alive for anywhere from two to 20 minutes to three to five hours. Parents of these babies who are born alive after abortion do not want to see or hold them. This means the only person left who could possibly hold them is a midwife or a nurse.
If this were a pregnancy loss of a wanted baby, the mother and father would usually comfort that baby while the baby was alive until they pass. In a termination of pregnancy where a baby is unwanted, babies are sometimes born into witch’s hats or kidney dishes and taken out of the room immediately, at the parents’ wishes.
If alive after abortion, the bereavement midwife or a regular midwife providing care for the woman holds the baby until the baby stops gasping or moving or no longer has a palpable heart rate. Sometimes babies born alive after an abortion are put into witch’s hats and are covered, taken out of the room and die while in that witch’s hat. This is distressing to many of the midwives as they are unable to provide any medical care for the baby but are limited to providing comfort care only, which is merely wrapping and holding the baby. We are so often short-staffed and some of the time midwives and doctors will provide this care for the terminated baby while caring for the labouring woman.
At times we have had women who have lost their babies at term, which is a gestation of 37 weeks onwards, in the room next to women who are terminating their babies—unwanted babies.
To give you the first example, a mother made a decision to abort her baby at 21-plus weeks of gestation. The process began in the morning with Misoprostol given throughout the day. The process took all day and the baby was only delivered during the early hours of the night shift, where skeleton staff was on duty. This baby moved vigorously, gasped for breath and had a palpable heart rate. To make it clear, this baby was alive. It was over 400 grams, so the baby was a good weight. The parents of this baby did not desire to see or hold this baby. Midwives and doctors were left holding this little life while they continued to provide care for other women who were birthing and welcoming babies into the world. This baby boy fought for his life for five hours before taking his final breath. This is not an uncommon occurrence.
Just recently a mother decided to abort her baby at 19 weeks. The same Misoprostol regime was started and this little baby was born alive—again, moving, gasping for air and having a palpable heart rate and, once again, weighed over 400 grams. This was a busy shift and the midwife who took over care from the bereavement midwife when this baby was delivered was distressed and shocked that the baby was alive at 19 weeks and they could not hold it. The baby was taken to the pan room and, as the mother declined to hold that baby, even knowing it was alive, the midwife who was providing care for this baby and mother who was terminating was also providing care for another lady who had decided to terminate her baby at a later gestation but had not had a feticide.
As this was a busy shift and we were short-staffed, it was suggested that this little baby be put into the dirty pan room and covered and be left on its own to take its final breaths alone. As the baby kept on breathing for longer than anticipated, thankfully another midwife was able to hold the baby while doing work until the baby took its final breaths. This baby was alive for almost three hours.
These are just two of many examples that occur in not only birth suites that I work in but also birth suites across Queensland. In these accounts which I tell you, I was either on shift or my colleagues have told me about their experiences. My colleagues are very often distressed about what they have seen and participated in, as am I.
These babies deserve better. They deserve to have the same rights that all of us human beings have, and I hope that the live births bill will be the first of many steps taken to protect and give rights to babies born alive after abortion.
Tweet This: These babies born alive after an abortion deserve better. They deserve to have the same rights that all of us human beings have.
