Unborn child 20 weeks after conception
Blogger Patricia Maloney at her Run with Life blog reported on statistics for the numbers of babies who died after being born alive following abortion procedures in Canada.
Her inquiries to Statistics Canada revealed the distressing news that 491 babies died after being born alive following abortions in the years 2000 to 2009.
You can read more about the statistics at her blog at http://run-with-life.blogspot.ca/2012/12update-live-birth-abortions-on-rise-in.html.
See Cansim Table 102-0536, under Code P96.4 with the title “Termination of pregnancy affecting fetus and newborn from Statistics Canada. This table applies to Live births only and does not include stillbirths which are listed in another table.
It has been known for many years that babies are sometimes born alive after abortion procedures and die after birth.
Abortions were first allowed in 1969 in Canada, following an amendment to the Criminal Code which permitted abortions in certain circumstances. A special committee appointed by the Privy Council of the Government of Canada in 1975 reported on the operation of so called Therapeutic Abortion Committees in hospitals across Canada.
In the Report of the Committee on the operation of the Abortion Law published in 1977 ( also known as the Badgley report after its chairman , Robin Badgley), we find evidence of babies born alive following abortion procedures.
On page 285:
“Most staff found hysterotomies to be distressing, especially if signs of foetal life occured. The actual handling of a foetus was difficult for most staff.”
On page 295 in the section dealing with hospital staff opinions concerning abortion, nurses reported to the committee:
“Some foetuses have cried and some certainly appear larger than 16 week size.”
“I have been invoved in operations where a foetus has moved. I find this distressful and feel no government has a right to inflict this treatment or moral responsibility on an individual.”
Mary Ellen Douglas of Campaign Life in Kingston told LifesiteNews (November 28, 2012)that “Babies were found struggling for life in a basin and nurses were told to leave them alone because they were aborted.” She said that pro-lifers heard of such events happening after hysterotomy abortions in the 1980s in Kingston. Sadly, this is so often the case that babies born alive after the abortion procedure are left to die.
The frequency of live births following abortions was unknown prior to Ms Maloney’s report.
The law in Canada recognizes the child as a human being only after it has fully emerged in a living state from is mother’s womb which means that every child born alive after an abortion should receive care and protection.
