Questions to the Department of Health and Social Care have revealed that the Government does not keep any records of babies who are born alive following an abortion.
Carla Lockhart, the DUP MP for Upper Bann, asked “how many infants having been born alive after a failed abortion were (a) provided care and died and (b) provided care and lived in each year since 2006”, as well as supplementary questions on what care such babies would be given.
Her questions follow those asked on the same subject by Mary Glindon MP in 2017.
As was the case four years ago, the minister replied that “Data on how many infants have been born after a failed abortion is not held centrally.”
Chilling guidance
Admitting that this does happen, Helen Whately MP went on: “As set out in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guideline on Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality, a fetus born alive after termination for a fetal abnormality is deemed to be a child and must be treated in his or her best interests and managed within published guidance for neonatal practice. A fetus born alive with abnormalities incompatible with long-term survival should be managed to maintain comfort and dignity during terminal care.”
The RCOG guidelines Ms Whately devotes two pages to the question “What happens if the fetus is born alive after termination of pregnancy?” Because "a fetus that is born alive after termination of pregnancy is deemed to be a child" and must be protected as such, doctors need to work out how likely the baby is to be born alive, and whether feticide (injecting poison into the baby's heart) should first be carried out.
Hundreds of babies
The guidelines also provide an idea as to the numbers involved.
The guidance refers to a study on terminations for fetal abnormality in the West Midlands alone. Between the years 1995 and 2004, 102 of the 3189 babies aborted were born alive. Of these, 36% survived 1 hour or less, and 6% for 6 or more hours. At 23 weeks gestation, 9.7% of the babies aborted were born alive.