au Australia inquiry after wrong twin foetus terminated

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Australia inquiry after wrong twin foetus terminated

An Australian hospital has launched an inquiry after staff treating a woman carrying twin boys accidentally terminated the wrong foetus.

Doctors had told the woman that one of her babies had a congenital heart defect that would require numerous operations, if he survived.

The woman chose to abort the 32-week foetus but staff injected the wrong twin.

The hospital in Melbourne described it as a "terrible tragedy".

"The Royal Women's Hospital can confirm a distressing clinical accident occurred on Tuesday," it said in a statement.

"We are conducting a full investigation and continue to offer the family and affected staff every support."

The woman went on to have an emergency caesarean to end the life of the sick foetus.

'Thorough investigation'

Victorian Health Minister David Davis said the hospital investigation would be overseen by an independent expert.

"I am very much determined to get to the bottom of what went wrong," he said.

State Premier Ted Baillieu echoed his sentiments, saying: "I don't think it's appropriate for anybody to draw any conclusions other than this is a horrible tragedy.

"We'll make sure that the investigation is as thorough as it can be."

In a brief statement, the family asked for privacy "at what has been a very difficult time for us".

Source: BBC News

[Joey S]

I feel sorry for the baby with the congenital heart defect. Why was it necessary to terminate it? Every life should be given the chance to live.

[Anibal P]

I feel sorry for the baby with the congenital heart defect. Why was it necessary to terminate it? Every life should be given the chance to live.

That's not the Liberal view, you should be worried about the parents that were almost stuck with a "defective" child and stuck paying the bill on any extra medical needs it would have needed. Also you are gonna **** off the feminists, it's no one but the Woman's choice to have it or not, not anyone else's choice, or to pressure her to have any children, let a lone a defective thing

[Wolfbane]

I feel sorry for the baby with the congenital heart defect. Why was it necessary to terminate it? Every life should be given the chance to live.

I feel the opposite way.

Abortions for defective babies should be "opt out" rather than "opt in".

My reasoning:

1) The baby, if it is not aborted, will be at a disadvantage throughout it's entire life, no matter what doctors do to help it.

2) 99 times out of 100 the rest of the country will have to foot the bill for operations and medication for this defective baby, because the parents can't afford it.

3) [the main one] If the baby is born, it will be kept alive at any cost (whereas it would have died without such extensive medical help), and will live to pollute the gene pool and make these defects more common in future generations.

[Tekkerson]

I agree with you, Wolfbane for the most part.

For #3 Technically every child can still carry the defective gene even if the child presents no form of illness. It's the mother that would pass that gene, not just the child.

[Xerax]

I feel the opposite way.

Abortions for defective babies should be "opt out" rather than "opt in".

My reasoning:

1) The baby, if it is not aborted, will be at a disadvantage throughout it's entire life, no matter what doctors do to help it.

2) 99 times out of 100 the rest of the country will have to foot the bill for operations and medication for this defective baby, because the parents can't afford it.

3) [the main one] If the baby is born, it will be kept alive at any cost (whereas it would have died without such extensive medical help), and will live to pollute the gene pool and make these defects more common in future generations.

Exactly. Nature kill's off the weakest for a reason.

[Dusco25]

I bet you liberals thank God everyday your mother did not have y'all sucked out.... Sorry did not mean to offend you by using the word "God".....

[jakem1]

That's not the Liberal view, you should be worried about the parents that were almost stuck with a "defective" child and stuck paying the bill on any extra medical needs it would have needed. Also you are gonna **** off the feminists, it's no one but the Woman's choice to have it or not, not anyone else's choice, or to pressure her to have any children, let a lone a defective thing

I bet you liberals thank God everyday your mother did not have y'all sucked out.... Sorry did not mean to offend you by using the word "God".....

Your impotent rantings have absolutely nothing to do with the topic and you're just making yourselves look even more stupid than you are. Why don't you troll somewhere else because you have nothing useful to contribute.

[Anibal P]

Your impotent rantings have absolutely nothing to do with the topic and you're just making yourselves look even more stupid than you are. Why don't you troll somewhere else because you have nothing useful to contribute.

You mad? Looks like we hit a nerve here.

[Wolfbane]

You mad? Looks like we hit a nerve here.

You're the ones who cry about people with absolutely no connection to you killing their potential children who also have absolutely no connection to you. (Since you pro-life/anti-abortion people all believe in god, shouldn't you be happy for aborted foetuses? - They didn't get a chance to sin, so they get to go straight to heaven without taking god's test)

If you can voice your opinion, so can he.

[Lovell]

32 weeks! WTF that's not a fetus that's a baby, the baby could have survived on it's own at that point who the hell would abort a 32 week old baby.

[fsX]

32 weeks! WTF that's not a fetus that's a baby, the baby could have survived on it's own at that point who the hell would abort a 32 week old baby.

I'm for abortion, but isn't aborting at 32 weeks illegal everywhere?

[articuno1au]

I bet you liberals thank God everyday your mother did not have y'all sucked out.... Sorry did not mean to offend you by using the word "God".....

Lol, very nice..

You mad? Looks like we hit a nerve here.

Agreed.

You're the ones who cry about people with absolutely no connection to you killing their potential children who also have absolutely no connection to you. (Since you pro-life/anti-abortion people all believe in god, shouldn't you be happy for aborted foetuses? - They didn't get a chance to sin, so they get to go straight to heaven without taking god's test)

If you can voice your opinion, so can he.

Everyone has a right to choose. The "bible bashers" have a right to choose not to abort their children, but I wish they would stop ramming it down other people's throats..

Like priest like follower ;)

32 weeks! WTF that's not a fetus that's a baby, the baby could have survived on it's own at that point who the hell would abort a 32 week old baby.

Someone who was worried about it's quality of life and the affect that the sick child would have on them, regardless of whether it lived or died..

The mother has a right to not have to watch her son/daughter die early in life. No parent should have to see that, why do the bible bashers insist on asserting that they should?

I'm for abortion, but isn't aborting at 32 weeks illegal everywhere?

It's legal in many places so long as there is a valid medical reason: i.e. the foetus could endanger the mother etc etc

[Teebor]

I just read about this on another site, So sad for the parents :(

[mudslag]

Your impotent rantings have absolutely nothing to do with the topic and you're just making yourselves look even more stupid than you are. Why don't you troll somewhere else because you have nothing useful to contribute.

This is Dusco you are talking about, trolling is the only thing he knows how to do. He is unable to post a sensible comment.

Funny how the Right is against abortions, even in cases like this but then turn around and bitch about people being a burden on the health care system. Just like this one has the potential too. The Right, trying to control other people's lives but as soon as the baby is born, dont give a rat's ass about it cause then it's a personal problem.

[ArialBlue]

Wow... loosing both :(

[Wolfbane]

32 weeks! WTF that's not a fetus that's a baby, the baby could have survived on it's own at that point who the hell would abort a 32 week old baby.

ORLY?

So if a baby with a congenital heart defect is born ~7 weeks early, it will survive without medical attention? (and that's assuming that "on it's own" means with it's parents' help). I'm pretty sure most normal babies wouldn't survive on their own (again, assuming parents' help/protection) if born ~7 weeks early, let alone a defective one.

I love how you jump from "32 weeks pregnant" to "32 week old baby".

By definition: a fetus is "the unborn offspring of a mammal"; a baby is "a very young child, esp. one recently or newly born".

0 weeks into pregnancy <= "embryo" < 8 weeks into pregnancy <= "fetus" < birth <= "baby" ...

[FMH]

Horrible, horrible, horrible! :(

[metallithrax]

ORLY?

I'm pretty sure most normal babies wouldn't survive on their own (again, assuming parents' help/protection) if born ~7 weeks early, let alone a defective one.

I have a friend who's son was born at 26 weeks - i.e. at least 11 weeks early. He has some disabilities, but is doing fine at the age of 16. As are a lot of others born as early as this.

[Wolfbane]

ORLY?

I'm pretty sure most normal babies wouldn't survive on their own (again, assuming parents' help/protection) if born ~7 weeks early, let alone a defective one.

I have a friend who's son was born at 26 weeks - i.e. at least 11 weeks early. He has some disabilities, but is doing fine at the age of 16. As are a lot of others born as early as this.

I wasn't saying it's not possible for a baby that was born early to survive, I was saying he was wrong to say a baby could survive on it's own (especially if born early).

[mudslag]

I wasn't saying it's not possible for a baby that was born early to survive, I was saying he was wrong to say a baby could survive on it's own (especially if born early).

It also depends on where they are born. Modern countries have the technology to handle early births like this but large parts of the world just dont have that technology.

[Wolfbane]

It also depends on where they are born. Modern countries have the technology to handle early births like this but large parts of the world just dont have that technology.

Well, the thread title does say Australia, so I just assumed we were talking about modern countries.