Such a sad story in the news - baby mistakenly terminated.

[Christmascack]

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/royal-womens-hospital-investigates-accidental-termination-of-wrong-twin-in-surgery-error/story-e6frg6nf-1226204303788

Very sad.

Raises the question of should we play god?

So, so sad :(

Chilling

So devastating for that poor family and the medical team will probably be ER forgive themselves.

how awful for the family

That's heartbreaking.

32 weeks :( holy shit that is awful.

how awful that they would terminate at 32 weeks

Very, very sad. I just read the new about it too but I have to say I am a bit shocked at a 32 week termination. How the heck to they do that?

The baby had a congenital heart defect and the woman was advised to do it by doctors. I know nothing of heart defects but to be told to do it then indicates to me that surgery after birth would have been futile.
Poor woman, I hope she is getting plenty of support.

How is terminating at 32 weeks different to giving birth?
Genuine question, it seems so risky to have done it, regardless of the dreadful mistake.

I don't want to upset anyone but I would like to have a better understanding as to why they suggested a termination at 32 weeks rather than let both babies be born and then nature run its course on the twin who had the heart defect which was presumably inoperable.

At 32 weeks would removing this 'terminally ill' twin, have made a big difference to the gestation of the healthy twin?

Was the congenital heart defect definately so bad that the twin was due to die in the womb or shortly after being born?

I would also like to know how the babies life is terminated when presumably at 32 weeks it is possible to survive.

Apologies if my questions cause distress but a better understanding of this sad event is all I seek. Thank you.

you can terminate 'for medical reasons'. ie feticide up to term. fetus would have an injection of potassium to stop the heart.

You put it better than me banana. I'd like to understand better myself too.

BananaChoc good questions

I've been wondering about this. My niece was born at 30 weeks and is absolutely fine. I'd have thought that it would have been better to go in and get them both out if there were any risks or problems instead of trying to terminate one at this stage? At 32 weeks they'd have both had a very good chance of survival - the healthy one especially.

My understanding isn't brilliant in terms of these things, but it makes no sense to me why they were trying to terminate one at 32 weeks.

Perhaps someone will be along with some useful info on these procedures.

I can't think why you would terminate in that situation (because surely it would cause the other twin to be born at the same time) unless the baby with the heart defect was not going to die at birth. I hope I'm jumping to a wrong conclusion though?

I hate myself for the feelings this gave me but having a son born at 27 weeks who is now 25 and doing great i find it hard to stomach.
I find it hard to believe the healthy twin didnt survive and cannot understand what the point was of terminating the sick twin at 32 weeks> Maybe its an error.
Very very sad though.

This sends a shudder.

Why anyone would terminate at this stage unless there was actual risk to any of the three lives involved, I cannot fathom.

A termination of one twin at 32 weeks is always going to be very risky for the remaining twin.

This is my understanding:

I think they inject the baby while still in the uterus, to kill the baby before it is born, and this is why the wrong baby was killed.

Surely you allow nature to take it's course at that stage, they are viable.
Just a hideous, terrifying story.

it's a horrible story, and I don't understand how doctors can terminate at that point in pregnancy, unless there was a risk to the life of the mother.

What I dislike about the article is that they are implying that the termination of the healthy twin is a tragedy, when in my opinion, the termination of both of the babies is a tragedy.

She had decided to abort one of the babies on the advice of doctors who told her the baby had a congenital heart defect which would seriously threaten his surviva
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Ok, we don't know the mothers circumstances nor can we understand her emotional state or personal beliefs.

The doctors advised her to terminate the life of the twin with the heart defect as it was a serious defect.

Technology in observing what goes on inside the womb is amazing but as the mother of a little 6.2lb baby boy who was told at eight months pregnant she would be having an exceptionally large/heavy baby girl, I am somewhat upset that the twin wasn't given the chance to be born and possibly treated or even given a transplant if available. Or just allowed the chance to be born and die naturally.

I have to ask this, but is there national health in Australia or is it like America where you havevto pay for care, or have medical insurance?

'The Herald Sun says doctors had advised the woman that one of boys, whom she had already named, had a congenital heart defect that would require years of operations, if he survived at all.'

'She made the heartbreaking decision to abort but at 2.30pm on Tuesday the wrong baby was injected, terminating the healthy foetus.'

It looks like she made the choice to have the baby terminated, rather than face a possibility of giving birth to a very ill baby. I'm amazed that she had that choice so late on, very sad.