One major difference between the US and the rest of the world is that our nation does everything to save premature babies, and allow them to go to delivery, etc. This results ultimately in an artificially higher infant mortality rates.
An example of this is the recent birth of Canadian Quadruplets in the USA, since there are no adequate functioning intensive care for premies even in Canada’s wealthier provinces.
This baby would be more likely to be alive in the US. In the UK, this baby and mom were put in servere harm’s way by total neglect. The mom in fact was essentially coerced into a nightmare unnecessary pregnancy termination.
If the state is footing the bill, there is no way they are going to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars required to maintain the life of a premature infant. This story may be bad PR for a day, but from the state’s point of view, they saved a heck of a lot of money.
I do wonder what is not being told in this story. A UTI should be treatable. A hemmorhage may or may not stop, but if it’s serious enough that the woman’s life is directly threatened she should be under constant care - I would guess she should have a C-section to stop the bleeding at once. I’ve heard of a number of cases of oligohydraminos (low amniotic fluid) eventually resolving themselves - but that’s not in itself a direct threat to the mother. And ultrasounds have given false readings.
Now if the amniotic membranes had ruptured and were infected - that is a direct threat, and I don’t think the pregnancy is salvageable.
They would have had to be able to prolong the pregnancy for six weeks for the baby to have had a chance. 18 weekers don’t survive anywhere.
Mrs VS
Not at 18 weeks. But in principle, the point you make is true.
“since there are no adequate functioning intensive care for premies even in Canada’s wealthier provinces.”
BS
my niece was born very premature in Victoria BC.. she’s 5 now.
18 weeks IMHO is not viable and therefore this was never an option but she should not have been left alone to give birth to a child and even more horrific that the child would be born alive but could not survive.
It is a shame that that medically they could not have given her another few weeks and then induced labour but I presume the risk to her life was too great to do so and by that time the child would have probably died given the medical reasons for the termination.
I know several people who have had very small babies survive but IMHO this one was just too small and young regardless of the circumstance.
IMHO the mother/grandmother should sue the hospital, the local NHS trust and the individual nursing staff who did not administer their duty of care.