{"id":173751,"date":"2017-10-27T12:45:39","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T16:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=173751"},"modified":"2017-10-27T16:01:50","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T20:01:50","slug":"uk-midwife-detected-heartbeat-20-week-illegally-aborted-baby-didnt-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/uk-midwife-detected-heartbeat-20-week-illegally-aborted-baby-didnt-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"UK midwife detected heartbeat in 20-week illegally aborted baby who didn’t survive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last month, a young woman gave birth prematurely<\/a> to a 20-week-old infant at Medway Maritime Hospital in England.\u00a0 What makes the story especially tragic is that the premature delivery was not due to an accident or unintended medical complication \u2013 the baby\u2019s 19-year-old mother had tried to induce an illegal abortion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This child could have been aborted legally. Abortion is legal in Great Britain up to 24 weeks<\/a>. Later abortions can be legally committed if there is a disability or health problem in the baby or if the woman\u2019s life is in danger. But for whatever reason, the woman, whose name has not been released and who police say has \u201cmental health problems,\u201d self-aborted her child.<\/p>\n

Doctors and nurses at the hospital first thought the baby was stillborn, but a midwife detected a heartbeat. No child has ever survived being born at 20 weeks. The hospital did not attempt to resuscitate. Sadly, the baby was never even given a name.\u00a0Dr. Ed Ruffle, who led the team investigating the incident, said:<\/p>\n

The circumstances surrounding the incident and the extreme vulnerability of the parents meant it was not in the public interest to prosecute. She was one of the most vulnerable women I have ever met. She\u2019d been in the foster system from a very young age and was abused by a family member.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This sad story highlights the need for pro-lifers to reach out to abortion-minded women in crisis. In the United States, there are over 2200 pregnancy resource centers<\/a> that seek to help women considering abortions. These centers support women emotionally and help them with material things they need. They also offer counseling, referrals, ultrasounds, help finding affordable medical care, help with housing, baby items, maternity clothes, and other things pregnant women and their children need. Some centers offer job training and parenting classes. All of the services at pregnancy centers are free.<\/p>\n

READ: 10 babies born alive after abortions in 2015 – in only 3 states<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Late-term abortion after 24 weeks gestation is typically done via the induction method, described below by Dr. Anthony Levatino, a former abortionist:<\/p>\n