An Australian mother pregnant with twins was advised to abort one of the babies because the baby had a congenital heart defect. She was told that his heart defect would require years of operations if the baby survived. 32 weeks pregnant, she underwent the abortion procedure. During the abortion, the ultrasound clinician mistakenly injected the healthy baby with the lethal injection, killing the baby, and leaving the disabled baby alive. The mother then had an emergency c-section during which the sick child was aborted. The Herald Sun reports that “the sick child was terminated in a three hour operation.”
This tragedy could have been avoided. The sick baby should have been allowed to be born, receive care after birth and live until his/her life came to a natural end. In some jurisdictions, perinatal hospice care is available for babies diagnosed with serious health problems and a short life expectancy. In the case of the Australian twins, one tragedy is compounded by another, one abortion then another. Both babies are now dead. This horrible situation was brought about because of the dangerous view that children with disabilities should be aborted.
