Failed Abortions

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Let me start out by saying that this is not an attempt to start a debate on a abortions. Some of you may say that what I am going to say in this thread is an "urban legend" but I would still appreciate knowing if anyone has ever had this happen and what the legal response would be.

When I was in high school several years ago I read an article that was supposedly written by a NICU nurse. In this article this nurse stated that she took care of a baby that was supposed to have been aborted yet somehow survived the procedure. I don't know what the baby's state was but this nurse stated that the mom didn't want anything done for the baby, no meds, no life-saving procedures, nothing. She said that somehow this baby made it through the first few hours and was fighting to survive yet the nurse wasn't allowed to do anything for the baby except watch her die. I am wondering if this is allowed and if so how as a nurse can I legally fight having to partake in something like this? Or does this even happen anymore? Thanks in advance.

Specializes in NICU, Psych, Education.

Smith's Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation makes mention of failed abortions under the section that talks about Methotrexate exposure. Apparently Methotrexate used to be an abortifacient.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Aborted fetus here are treated as human waste tissue and would be incinerated with amputations etc! Sad isn't it, where does sanctity of life and soul come in? I have no firm views on abortion, I must say, it is down to individual situation and choice. Still sad though, a possible wee life thrown in with diseased waste tissue.:sniff:

I'm not quite sure what that has to do with that the OP was asking.

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Specializes in LTC, Agency, HHC.
No such thing as a stupid question! Good luck with your studies lvn2bsoon:)

Thanks, ferg, I am now an LPN, I graduated in May, 2005 and have my license and have been working since Oct., waiting to go onto RN.

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Very unfortunately, I have both referred and experienced post 24 week abortions with live birth. One such incident was a set of twins who were 32 weeks. Both were suffocated by the physician upon birth. Saline was allowed at that time and it was felt that suffocation at birth would be "more humane" at that gestational period. This was called "partial-birth" abortion. It was legal all the way up to 40 weeks. It had nothing to do with the mother's or the baby's health. This particular mother couldn't/wouldn't choose adoption for reasons I don't understand to this day. She also chose to be "put out" during the delivery. She labored normally and delivered the twins who were both cephalic presentation.....perfectly normal in every way. It sickens me to think of that. We are a generation of infacticide, whether any of us wants to admit it or not, and whether we are on either side of the abortion issue. Facts are simply facts. Since then, I have always asked about a hospital's policies regarding nurse-preferences to participate in such things or if they were given the right to refuse. Believe it or not, most hospitals that do abortions have adopted policies that allow nurses to refuse, no questions asked. With this new administration, however, it is doubtful that abortion will remain the formost choice for birth control. We'll have to all wait and see what happens to the "free choices" of pregnant women.

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Very unfortunately, I have both referred and experienced post 24 week abortions with live birth. One such incident was a set of twins who were 32 weeks. Both were suffocated by the physician upon birth. Saline was allowed at that time and it was felt that suffocation at birth would be "more humane" at that gestational period. This was called "partial-birth" abortion. It was legal all the way up to 40 weeks. It had nothing to do with the mother's or the baby's health. This particular mother couldn't/wouldn't choose adoption for reasons I don't understand to this day. She also chose to be "put out" during the delivery. She labored normally and delivered the twins who were both cephalic presentation.....perfectly normal in every way. It sickens me to think of that. We are a generation of infacticide, whether any of us wants to admit it or not, and whether we are on either side of the abortion issue. Facts are simply facts. Since then, I have always asked about a hospital's policies regarding nurse-preferences to participate in such things or if they were given the right to refuse. Believe it or not, most hospitals that do abortions have adopted policies that allow nurses to refuse, no questions asked. With this new administration, however, it is doubtful that abortion will remain the formost choice for birth control. We'll have to all wait and see what happens to the "free choices" of pregnant women.

I haven't read this book but have heard about it for years. I'm thinking I might give it a try.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/089526174X/sr=8-1/qid=1142702480/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5953367-8737439?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Dr. Nathanson was one of the founders, in 1968, of NARAL and ran the largest abortion clinic in the US. I've been reading some excerpts on Amazon and his story sounds compelling, not the least his relationship with his father.

steph

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Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.

I'm sorry, I have to call BS on this. I'm a cynic, I'll freely admit it.

But abortion is not the formost choice for birth control here.

It has never been legal to smother infants. I just feel this sounds like a lot of rhetoric that goes around.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I wonder if it's possible to refrain from an abortion debate on this thread since abortion debating really isn't relative to the original subject of this thread ?

Just wondering :stone

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:yeahthat:

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
i wonder if it's possible to refrain from an abortion debate on this thread since abortion debating really isn't relative to the original subject of this thread ?

just wondering :stone

thank you.

any additional off-topic (r/t abortion itself, not the original topic) will be removed.

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Very unfortunately, I have both referred and experienced post 24 week abortions with live birth. One such incident was a set of twins who were 32 weeks. Both were suffocated by the physician upon birth. Saline was allowed at that time and it was felt that suffocation at birth would be "more humane" at that gestational period. This was called "partial-birth" abortion. It was legal all the way up to 40 weeks. It had nothing to do with the mother's or the baby's health. This particular mother couldn't/wouldn't choose adoption for reasons I don't understand to this day. She also chose to be "put out" during the delivery. She labored normally and delivered the twins who were both cephalic presentation.....perfectly normal in every way. It sickens me to think of that. We are a generation of infacticide, whether any of us wants to admit it or not, and whether we are on either side of the abortion issue. Facts are simply facts. Since then, I have always asked about a hospital's policies regarding nurse-preferences to participate in such things or if they were given the right to refuse. Believe it or not, most hospitals that do abortions have adopted policies that allow nurses to refuse, no questions asked. With this new administration, however, it is doubtful that abortion will remain the formost choice for birth control. We'll have to all wait and see what happens to the "free choices" of pregnant women.

Suffocating a baby at birth is murder. That's not a partial birth abortion. If this did happen, it should have been reported to the police.

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Suffocating a baby at birth is murder. That's not a partial birth abortion. If this did happen, it should have been reported to the police.

Which is why I was thinking of reading Dr. Nathanson's book - I seriously doubt babies are suffocated at birth like that . .. however, I know infanticide has existed since the beginning of time.

This is a hard subject - it is kinda about abortion and difficult not to go down that path.

steph

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
I haven't read this book but have heard about it for years. I'm thinking I might give it a try.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/089526174X/sr=8-1/qid=1142702480/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5953367-8737439?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Dr. Nathanson was one of the founders, in 1968, of NARAL and ran the largest abortion clinic in the US. I've been reading some excerpts on Amazon and his story sounds compelling, not the least his relationship with his father.

steph

Thanks for the book referral, Steph. Looks like a most fascinating book.

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