|
Born-alive abortion, is a rare situation when a failed induced abortion attempt of the fetus leads to live birth of an infant. The infants born this way are sometimes referred to as abortion survivors. It should not be confused with post abortion survivor syndrome. Definitions Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 describes a born-alive infant as "the complete expulsion or extraction from his or her mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion." Incidence Between the years 2003 and 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed death certificates from those states that report it and found that at least 143 infants were born alive and subsequently died after an attempted induced abortion. 97 of those deaths involved a maternal complication or, one or more congenital anomalies. In the Australian state of Victoria, 52 babies were born alive after failed late-term abortions in 2007. Since the fetal viability is generally considered to begin at about 24 weeks of pregnancy and only about 1.3% of abortions in the US in 2015 were performed in or after the 21st week of pregnancy. Furthermore, many of the late-term abortions are performed because the fetus has a fatal condition or the pregnant woman's life or health is at severe risk. During late-term abortions a drug may be injected to stop the fetal heartbeat before the fetus comes out of the womb. In other cases, suction devices and other instruments end the fetus's life before it is removed. Due to these reasons it has been stated that abortions resulting in live births are very rare. Care If medical staff observe signs of life, they may be required to provide care: emergency medical care if the child has a good chance of survival and palliative care if not. Induced fetal demise before termination of pregnancy after 20-21 weeks gestation is recommended by some sources to avoid this and to comply with the US Partial Birth Abortion Ban. Induced fetal demise does not improve the safety of an abortion procedure and may incur risks to the health of the woman having the abortion.
|
|
|