ABC News-the miracle baby is a WIN for the "pro-life" side

[underpants]

I flipped over there to see if they were going to have a report on Woodruff's recovery and this was the lead story. Never saw this one coming.
http://newsbusters.org/node/10954

ABC Recognizes Survival of 21-Week Baby 'May Change What People Think About Life'

ABC's World News led Tuesday night with an unusual spin, one favorable to conservatives: the survival of a baby born in Florida last October just 21 weeks and six days after conception, the least time ever spent in the womb by an infant who has survived (AP article). Anchor Charles Gibson teased: “A tiny miracle that raises big questions in the debate over abortion." Setting up his top story, Gibson acknowledged the impact on the abortion debate: “The fact that she has survived and grown to more than four pounds, and is about to go home, is a miracle, yes, but a miracle that may have an effect on the debate over abortion. And it may change what people think about life.”

Reporter Dan Harris soon outlined how “anti-abortion activists” are using her: "For her parents, Amillia's story is a personal and emotional one. But for anti-abortion activists, Amillia is a national poster child. Today they promised to hold her up as an example in future debates over restricting abortion.” Leading into a soundbite from Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Harris noted that “only one state, North Carolina, explicitly prohibits aborting a fetus as the point at which Amillia was born.” Harris, however, countered Perkins by stressing how “bio-ethicists we spoke with today argue that Amillia is a miracle baby, and that it's unwise to change public policy based on miracles." (Transcript follows)




Professor Arthur Caplan, University of Pennsylvania: "We don't have new treatments. There isn't anything to be done differently to try and save 21-week-old premature infants. And so, I think it would be wrong to just say, because this one made it, we ought to treat everyone when we don't have any new treatments."

[GCP]

1. This baby is going to have a long hard road

This sounds harsh but I really feel it would have been kinder to have the mother hold her gently until she died. Babies as pre-term as this have a life-time of health problems to look forward to.
http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/000268/55/

:hide:

[zanne]

3. Yeah. I wonder about brain damage. nt

[rodeodance]

7. I used to work in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-----prob. 24 weeks was

the earliest babe that I cared for. and while some were fine--others, as the article points out had life long disabilities, some severe.

over the years, it just became too hard to work in that Unit.

[underpants]

11. Well let me say this

My wife and elected NOT to have an Amnio done because it unneccesarily put the fetus at risk and because we didn't care we were going to have her no matter what. That being said everyone else we know has had the amnio done and not for the health of anyone simply for the decision (and I am talking about lots of otherwise "conservative" couples)

[Geoff R. Casavant]

19. Same here!

We were offered the amnio at least four times since my wife is just over 35. But we discussed it and decided that it didn't matter of there was any Down's or other genetic abnormalities, because there was no way we weren't going to love this baby. And after two miscarriages, even the slim chance of the amnio causing a third was too great to justify.

[underpants]

21. My wife is over 40

and was when we had our girl.

No need for the risk so we didn't do it.

[colinmom71]

2. Grrr... Saving viable, premature babies has nothing to do with the abortion debate...

You can see more of a discussion from GD yesterday here - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x251609

Abortions that occur post 20 weeks are almost always due to either a maternal and/or fetal health problem, with the fetus usually being non-viable before the termination. My own son was born at 24 weeks and my outlook on the legality of abortion has not changed at all.

Another problem with how this baby's story is being projected in the media is that this baby's gestational age according to her IVF implantation is 21 wks 6 days, which when compared to naturally conceived babies would be on par with a 23 weeker due to the two week menstrual cycle gap counted as gestation for naturally conceived kids. Had she been a 21 weeker through normal gestation, she would not have survived.

[LiberalFighter]

14. This baby was almost the length of a pencil

The baby was an in vitro implant

Delivered by Caesarean section due to complications by the mother.

According to website the baby was 10oz and 9.5 inches

Currently 4.5 lbs and 15.5 inches

She was born Oct 24 last year and has been in an incubator since birth



As to the fundies using this baby as a means to overturn Ro(v)e v Wade I would argue that if they believe that it is in God's hand then why do they support in vitro fertilization? Why do they support Caesareans? Why do they support incubators? Why do they support a mother giving birth weeks even months before a child is due to be born? (Not natural I tell you Not natural :sarcasm:)

[Cassandra]

4. 21 weeks is still not the same as...

one week.

[rodeodance]

5. Those parents should not involve their child in this debate!

[underpants]

6. I don't see that they did

This appears to be a complete hijacking by Tony Perkins and that crowd and ABC dutifully gave it airtime, lead with it actually.

[rodeodance]

8. Perhaps you are right as I prob. jumped to conclusions that the

parents will consent. I hope not.




....Reporter Dan Harris soon outlined how “anti-abortion activists” are using her: "For her parents, Amillia's story is a personal and emotional one. But for anti-abortion activists, Amillia is a national poster child. Today they promised to hold her up as an example in future debates over restricting abortion.” Leading into a soundbite from Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Harris noted that “only one state, North Carolina, explicitly prohibits aborting a fetus as the point at which Amillia was born.” Harris, however, countered Perkins by stressing how “bio-ethicists we spoke with today argue that Amillia is a miracle baby, and that it's unwise to change public policy based on miracles." (Transcript follows)

[LiberalFighter]

15. Will she be considered a miracle baby if she dies at a young age?

Will she be considered a miracle baby if she continues to have respiratory and other medical problems associated with the birth?

[rodeodance]

9. the story has a pic of the infant just after birth. Also a long transcript

Dan Harris: "Charlie, good evening. Until now, the story of tiny Amillia Taylor has primarily been a medical and human interest story. But today it became a political story as well. When Amillia Taylor was born in October, she was roughly the length of a ball-point pen, her feet were smaller than a thumb, and she weighed less than 10 ounces. But she was clearly scrappy."

Dr. William Smalling, Baptist Children's Hospital in Kendall, Florida: "She told us early on from the start that she was a fighter and she wanted to be here."

Harris: "This is Amillia now. She weighs four pounds, and, despite the fact that she's had some respiratory and digestive problems, her doctor says Amillia's prognosis is excellent."

Sonja Taylor, mother of premature baby: "I guess I'm still in amazement. I really am, even looking at her now. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that she would even get this far."

[rodeodance]

10. "We don't have new treatments. ........

.....Professor Arthur Caplan, University of Pennsylvania: "We don't have new treatments. There isn't anything to be done differently to try and save 21-week-old premature infants. And so, I think it would be wrong to just say, because this one made it, we ought to treat everyone when we don't have any new treatments."

Harris: "Amillia was scheduled to be released today from Baptist Children's Hospital in Florida. But her doctors decided to hold her for a few more days as a precaution, they say. And once she does go home, she will, Charlie, still be followed very closely by her doctors."

[LynneSin]

12. Being that most people do not have abortions at 21 weeks

and I'm stressing the word *most* - I'm not sure how this is a victory for pro-life.

[underpants]

13. It is

They said so so it is.

There. Settled.


This came from so far out of left field I just sat there stunned. I would have never thought about that angle on it.

[Arkansas Granny]

16. When I heard the 21 week gestation, I figured the anti-choice crowd

would rush to exploit it. You can expect to hear her case mentioned a lot in the abortion debate from now on.

[w8liftinglady]

17. they have no idea about the medical bills this poor family faces..are they willing to subsidize thos...

[zalinda]

18. My son was born almost 2 1/2 months premature

We didn't have insurance and it cost us $55,000 in 1971. Now, for the most part, he didn't have any set backs, he just needed to grow. He has bad vision in one eye and no vision in the other, he will never be able to drive a car. He has motor skill problems, which also stops him from holding many types of jobs. But, he is one of the lucky ones.

There were other babies that were there in worse condition. A baby that had been there so long that he almost didn't fit in the isolette. He was flaccid and responded to nothing, he was called the million dollar baby. His father was stopped by security as he was coming in to pull the plug, the mother disagreed with the father and was still praying for a miracle....Latino catholics. Thankfully, a few days later he died.

Many of these children are abandoned when the parents learn how extensive the problems will be. Money and the care in the hospital are the least of their worries, they look to what it will take to bring these children home and take care of them. For some, it will be a lifetime of looking after these children.

zalinda

[slackmaster]

20. Wow, who could possibly have seen that one coming?

:eyes: