Expert tells doctors: let youngest premature babies die

Times of London ^ | 6/5/05 | Sarah-Kate Templeton

[wagglebee]

BRITAIN’S top medical ethics expert has urged doctors to let the most premature babies die, with treatment offered only in exceptional cases.

Baroness Warnock believes Britain should follow Holland in setting an age limit below which babies would not routinely be resuscitated.

She says this would prevent doctors competing for the “triumph” of keeping babies alive at increasingly young ages even though they may not survive in the long term or may be left severely disabled.

Warnock’s comments were backed in part by Britain’s most senior paediatrician, who said the setting of a lower limit should be considered.

In Holland, doctors do not routinely administer intensive care to babies born before 25 weeks of pregnancy. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a medical think tank, is considering proposing similar guidelines in Britain. It is consulting doctors, nurses and parents about setting a 24-week limit.

Warnock, who helped frame laws on embryo research and fertility treatment, supports setting an age limit, with exceptions for babies who show they have a strong chance of living to become healthy children.

“Some doctors and nurses get competitive about the triumph of keeping these tiny, premature, babies alive,” she said. “It would be better to set a minimum age than to have no form of scrutiny or regulation. Below a certain age of gestation no baby should be kept going without very thorough scrutiny of what the prognosis for that baby is.”

Although most doctors are opposed to an age limit, Sir Alan Craft, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it was a legitimate option to consider. “One possible course of action would be not to intervene with any 23-week-old babies unless they breathe completely and spontaneously themselves,” he said.

Craft, speaking in a personal capacity, argues that, as it is not possible to tell which babies born at 23 weeks or less will survive, doctors are forced to consider resuscitating all of them, although the majority have no chance of living.

Once doctors have started assisting these babies, he says, parents find it difficult to agree to treatment being withdrawn, even though it is of no help.

The Nuffield council is investigating the costs of raising the disabled children that premature babies often become as well as the expense of intensive care in neonatal units.

A study of the most premature babies showed most went on to suffer disabilities. The EPICure study of babies born at 25 weeks or less, led by researchers at Nottingham University, found that, by the age of six, only 20% of surviving children had no disabilities; 22% had severe disabilities, including cerebral palsy; while 34% had milder problems such as a squint.

In addition, it found that only 11% of all babies born at 23 weeks survived. Since the study began, however, care has improved and the figure is believed to be closer to 20%.

Bliss, the premature baby charity, says about 50 babies born at 23 weeks survive every year and it would be wrong to deny them the chance to live.

Bonnie Green, head of external relations, said: “We would be very unhappy. It is expensive to keep adults who may not pull through in intensive care but, in their case, we do not say ‘let’s use the money for something else’.”

[DoughtyOne]

That was an excellent report. The human mind is not qualified to make such decisions. Seek to save them all and many will achieve what your brother has. Set arbitrary limits, and none will (of this group).

Thanks so much. All the best to you and your brother.

[chimera]

My son was born at 7 months gestation and I can tell you this: I'd have killed anyone who would have denied him a chance at life. He is the absolute joy of our lives and in many ways is the reason I stick with this lousy fight day after day, the hope of building a better life for him.

Those who destroy the children of a society end up ripping its heart and soul out. God will surely damn them for doing so.

[mmercier]

I should not have read this.

One almost wishes that these "ethicists" found themselves in the same circumstance years back. Then the rest of us would be spared from their wisdom..

>> “Some doctors and nurses get competitive about the triumph of keeping these tiny, premature, babies alive,”

And we all know competition is a bad thing.

>> Although most doctors are opposed to an age limit

Because the light of compassion still lives within their hearts, and they are well aware that the more they try to manage a critical medical situation the easier it becomes. They know they need trial and error, not state mandated ignorance.

>> The Nuffield council is investigating the costs of raising the disabled children that premature babies often become as well as the expense of intensive care in neonatal units.

And therein lies the nut of the issue.

Cost.

Fans of socialized medicine should take note, it all boils down to this in the end. As the number of elderly rise, the number of some other competing financial burden shall yield. Granny waits for her new hip, or premie baby jane is LEFT TO DIE.

At least hitler was honest about it, he simply exterminated all the menially retarded, premature, and unfit (permanently disabled) up front, and with no compunction.

These "ethicists" feel the need to justify their proposed methodology to ease their compunction. And at the same time attain the same outcome. These people are pigs. If they are "ethicists" then I am Henry the eighth.

[Texas Termite]

Logan was born at estimated 24-25 weeks. Just follow his thread!! You know, you've been there with us through it all. What a shame this idea is even being considered.

Nana

[Americanexpat]

The Spartans are still alive and well. Maybe they can take the babies up into the mountains to die from exposure. Don't have a mountain, use a sky scraper. We can't kill enough of our children with abortions we can fall back on ancient remedies. /Sarcasm

[stands2reason]

Now that is just outright misrepresentation. I'm no fan of the democrats or other liberals, but I have never heard this being part of their platform until now.

Your ignorance is not factual, that is, you haven't been paying attention.

This is the next step after socialized medicine.

[Dog Gone]

My son was born at just under 26 weeks. My wife's father, a physician, advised us not to name him because we might get attached.

That was nearly 21 years ago, and that unnamed kid is a junior at Texas A&M making outstanding grades. He was also a varsity wrestler for four years in high school.

Just because he was born at an age where it was quite legal to abort him instead doesn't mean much to me. Being severely premature does not mean that the baby is permanently damaged. It means he/she gets to fight for life.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for another great example of this arbitrary limits is such a terrible idea.

[Walkingfeather]

Don't you think we can live with a few less "experts"?

[mmercier]

>> That was nearly 21 years ago, and that unnamed kid is a junior at Texas A&M making outstanding grades. He was also a varsity wrestler for four years in high school.

Just one reason why all possible options should be exhausted, and then re exhausted in these and similar medical situations. My cousin is a surgeon, they routinely do things today that were undreamed of last year.

They keep trying and improve; these twits want to stop trying, and simply exterminate those who fall into a financially undesirable category.

Who knows, maybe if they can exterminate all preemie's Baroness Warnock (how appropriate is that name) can get a raise and a French villa.

How can a so called civilized country even allow these people to comment publicly.

[NYer]

Bliss, the premature baby charity, says about 50 babies born at 23 weeks survive every year and it would be wrong to deny them the chance to live.

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Dog Gone]

At some point a fetus simply can't survive outside the womb. But we keep pushing that date earlier and earlier.

My son wasn't expected to survive, but I now read of much smaller babies making it. Whether they all have happy medical outcomes, I'm not sure. But there is no arbitrary line.

Yes, there is no point in putting a two week old embryo into intensive care. But a one pound baby can make it today and that's just amazing.

[trebb]

And Satan grins....

[Reaganwuzthebest]

The culture of death seems to be everywhere these days...

[nwrep]

Baronness Warnock- Ugly, hateful, death-worshipping dyke:

[Boomer Geezer]

It's a shame the Baroness wasn't a test case for this philosophy in years past. I should think that perhaps the good Sir Alan Craft needs to ... ah ... this is Sunday. I'm not going to say what I'm thinking -- I don't want to get banned here, and it's bad enought I thought of it.

Slippery slope time again ... how soon before they seriously begin Micky Mousing around with the lives of the elderly.

I'll echo a previous comment (by Maigrey)... disgusting.

Trebb: I agree ... Satan doing a lot of grinning on this because it only adds fuel and legitimacy to the whole Terry Schiavo/euthanasia (sp?) mess.

[HighlyOpinionated]

The Nuffield council is investigating the costs of raising the disabled children that premature babies often become as well as the expense of intensive care in neonatal units.

It always boils down to money, doesn't it?

Today, it's premies, tomorrow it's Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Spina Bifida, and on and on.

Then they'll turn on the elderly and say that anyone who's lived beyond age 85 should have food and water withheld, even if the person is of sound mind.

On the one hand, science is trying to help couples who can't have babies using in-vitro fertilization and on the other hand, science is saying that a baby born earlier than 25 weeks premature should be exterminated.

You know why, don't you? They want the bodies of these babies for stem cell research.

And here's the INTERESTING thing, they're not calling these little humans "products of conception" or "blobs" either. They're calling them BABIES.

Abortion proponents, take note!

[TheDon]

Baroness Warnock is a monster.

[stormyseas]

There is purpose and responsibility in every instant of life, for the individual and for the community, even though the purpose is not always readily apparent to save the life of another or to face the dire consequences, and the extent of these obligations are endless…..

[Christopher Lincoln]

It is expensive to keep adults who may not pull through in intensive care but, in their case, we do not say ‘let’s use the money for something else’.

But have no doubt, they will say just that.