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Thursday May 24, 2012

What we're talking about

Fetus mix-up leaves family in ruins

Posted by: 3AW Radio | 24 November, 2011 - 7:56 AM
royal women's hospital

A healthy 32-week-old fetus has been terminated in a tragic mix-up at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital.

According to the Health Services Commission, doctors had advised a woman who was having twin boys that one of them had a congenital heart defect that would require years of operations if he survived at all.

The mother made the decision to abort but on Tuesday the wrong baby was injected, terminating the healthy fetus.

The mother reportedly underwent an emergency cesarean section to end the life of the sick child.

A friend of the woman says the family is struggling with the tragic circumstances.

A hospital spokeswoman has apologised for the distressing clinical accident and says a full investigation is underway.

The Health Services Commissioner says the case is unlikely to go to the coroner.

Listen to her interview below.

'She's traumatised' ... The hospital aborted the wrong baby.

The hospital aborted the wrong baby. Photo: Craig Abraham

PLAY: Health Services Commissioner with Neil Mitchell

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Blog comments Your Say

  • As a sonographer I believe the problem in this situation is that the medical industry use the term fetus and embryo to brainwash people to believe the life growing inside them is not a baby so they can then justify killing it. The question should not be did they kill the wrong baby. It should be "when is it ever right to kill a baby" NEVER!!! There is no grey area, we should not believe it is right to kill sometimes. A baby is alive and to call the type of killing "abortion" does not make it right. I look at babies all day long doing ultrasound, even at 12weeks the baby is fully formed, you can count all the fingers, see them move, they are alive. I saw a 20week baby on ultrasound respond to its fathers voice and turn to face him when he spoke.

    frances Friday 25 November, 2011 - 7:45 PM

  • Richard as a parent I can tell you that if a doctor told me that one of my babies was to have complication and severe ones where he/she was not expected to live I would still go ahead with the birth of both.
    A doctor is not God and if there was a chance no matter how small of the doctor being wrong I would grab it. If the baby died soon after birth then it would be a horrible tragedy but I would know that I gave that baby every possible chance of survival.
    My daughter had to arrive three weeks early due to complications and seeing that beautiful fully developed baby was incredible joy.
    I know I cannot compare the situation but I think I can safely say that most parents would want their baby to have every chance no matter how small.
    I don't understand what was wrong with delivering both babies by cesarean and trying to perform a miracle on the sick baby. Look at the modern medicine these days. They perform miracles every day.
    All this aside, I think it was easier to "abort" than to do the right thing and deliver the babies and take their chances.
    I think most parents see it from this point of view.
    I respect your views and I do understand them. I just wanted to explain mine.

    Peggy Friday 25 November, 2011 - 7:02 PM

  • I have posted 2 comments on here that haven't been printed. This is just a censored opinion page. Shame on you 3AW for only letting people put YOUR views.

    Sharon Friday 25 November, 2011 - 5:34 PM

  • Peggy I would certainly agree that a 32 week baby is a 'baby' rather than a fetus and I would assume had the child been born many other factors would have been considered rather than a termination. I am only making assumptions here as I'm not a doctor nor one of the parents having to deal with this terrible sitiation. If a child at any age was not likely to survive the birth or placed their twin and/or mother in serious harm then I would expect a termination would be the most likely result. This situation was different however my whole point all along is that we shouldn't judge people when we cannot possibly understand their situation. We don't even know the full story. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate people judging you for your decisions any more that i would.

    Richard Friday 25 November, 2011 - 4:56 PM

  • Richard, my opinion is not based on religion as I am pro choice.
    The only reason I am against abortion in this case is that this was a fully developed baby which if born only a week earlier (entirely possible) would not have been killed.
    If this woman went into labour a week earlier and delivered both babies do you really think that killing the sick one would not be considered murder?
    So what is the differnce between a 32 week still not born yet and a 31 week born premature?
    That's my only concern is not the fact that parents wanted to abort the one they thought will be too sick but that by this stage it was a fully developed baby.
    I think we will still disagree but I see a 32 week baby as a baby and not a fetus any longer.

    Peggy Friday 25 November, 2011 - 3:49 PM

  • Peggy and Inconceivable, my whole point was that you judged the parents for making the decision they did without knowing the circumstances or what they were going though. Personally I don't know what I'd do if my wife and I were faced with a similar situation. I would certainly NOT make any decision based solely on what doctors say as we have been given advice in the past that proved to be wrong so that's not the issue. We don't know everything about the situation so how can we judge? Incidentally I'm interested to know if any of your opinions are based on your religion? Not that it matters really but a lot of people that have similar opinions on this issue seem to me to be of the belief that we shouldn't be playing god.

    Richard Friday 25 November, 2011 - 3:39 PM

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