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1527510 tn?1392301344

Baby at 24 weeks

So, I wasn't sure whether to post this or not. But I decided to as it is something I am against (however I will NOT judge or criticize anyone who has opted for an abortion).
In the UK, an abortion can be carried out up to 24 weeks.
There was a tv show on tonight which highlighted babies being born at 23 weeks.
The show highlights how their parents have to make the decision whether or not to let them fight for their lives or to let them go. (Obviously they are born this prematurely for medical reasons)
If the child was born a week before at 22 weeks, then it would be considered a miscarriage and simply be left to die.

The show was making the point of is it really fair to subject a child born at this age to go through all the medical treatments, tubes etc to be able to fight for survival?

The tv show shows you the parents, and these babies born at 23 weeks and how they look and are proper little babies but are just not fully grown enough to survive on their own yet.
Watching this it shocks me to think that an abortion can be allowed up to 24 weeks, when you have little babies that are born before this who fight for their lives AND even in some cases survive and grow to be healthy little babies.


In my opinion, EVERY child should have the right to a life, I am NOT however against other people's opinions, as everyone is entitled to their views on things.
40 Responses
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Avatar universal
Not to get off subject of the tv program but I am (currently) a manager in a restaurant. One of my servers thought she was pregnant...again. I said my congratulations and all that and she looks at me and says "Oh no...I gonna go down da clinic and get dat nasty thing out a me tomorrow."
I was in shock. She's willing to pay $300-$500 to have an abortion but not get b/c which she can get for free from that very same clinic.

So I asked her why not adoption? Her response? It's not fair to her. o_0 She actually said why should she give birth to a baby, get fat n sh!t just to give the brat away. (her words...not mine) I wasn't sad when it was found out she stole $400 (coincidence?) the following week and I had to fire her.
Helpful - 0
1536705 tn?1324329047
I would just like to point out that all I was doing was stating the statistics, and not actually agreeing with what happens.
Because we in the UK are lucky enough to be covered by the NHS and have our medical services provided free of charge (well contributions are made by people that actually work, like myself)...free contraception in all forms, Pill, Condoms, Injection, Implant or the coil OR even the morning after pill, in the UK i do think abortion is disgusting and irresponsible as there are free and easy ways to prevent getting pregnant in the 1st place!

But premature birth...<< what the programme was actually about..is something completely different.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i live in the uk and we get our birth control free so how easy would it be to just pop a little pill once a day    no unwanted pregnancies then EASY
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This is sick and disturbing. Its un- humane!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Exactly, but there a millions of dollars spent everyday to give women the resources to get birth control or to get condoms. And if they dont want their child growing up poor or growing up neglected they should take the proper measures to ensure that they dont find themselves in that situation. A woman that knows what shes doing when she gets pregnant is going to have to face the fact that she is going to have people giving their stories on their own preganancy, childbirth, etc. and a woman that feels adult enough to make such a life changing decision such as having an abortion shouldnt have a choice of wether or not she should see her baby. people are going to fill in a pregant women on their stories wehter she likes it or not she can chose to ignore them, if a woman has the sono she has a choice not to look at whats on the screen, its the same thing . Your completely right about being glad their are clinics so that women dont kill themselves trying to self abort. but if they wouldve taken the proper measures it wouldnt have happened in the first place. if your going to have sex unprotected
Helpful - 0
1194973 tn?1385503904
I read about that Texas thing. A lot of people went completely mental about it, saying how women who are having abortions already know and don't want to see something like that, and if women who get abortions should have to listen and watch all this, women who are pregnant should have to see the horrors of labour and delivery and parenthood. I don't know about anyone else, but from the minute people found out I was pregnant or saw I was, I got nothing BUT stories from people, even if I didn't want it.

Then there's the argument that it's better for the baby to die rather than to live in a home where it will be unwanted or neglected, or if the parents don't have the money. Does this mean we should go around killing homeless people because they live on the streets, and don't have anywhere to go? There will always be two sides to it, and it will be a never ending debate. In reality, I'm glad clinics exist so women don't kill themselves trying to self-abort, but at the same time I just wish people took proper measures so it never has to happen in the first place. People should remember sex isn't for pleasure, it's for reproduction and when you engage in an act for reproduction, what happens? You reproduce.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I believe the same thing.. like i said here in Texas theyre getting ready to give the bill to Govenor Parry to pass it into law that a woman be required to see her baby before going through with the abortion. its something that should go nationwide. If it has a beating heart and its a human being its murder. theres no possible way to make the topic anything else then what it is.
My SIL is pregnant with her 3rd right now and they were going to have an abortion because they couldnt afford to have the baby. She was going to a clinic that only charged her 20 or 30 dollars to get her BC shot every three months. it was something she had complete control over and decided not to get her shot...that doesnt make an abortion a convience because she couldnt be responsible enough to get a shot 4 times a year.
Helpful - 0
1194973 tn?1385503904
I made a journal about this once, because I never understood how abortions weren't defined as murder, but apparently because a child isn't deemed as a person until the point of viability it's ok. They used things, such as the 13th amendment and like to also try to ok what they're doing. Babies can feel pain from like the 9th week of pregnancy and on (I think it might even be earlier) and doctors have seen that a baby will recoil from an alien device in the womb.
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Avatar universal
Im 23 weeks right now and if i push on my belly in a certain spot my little guy pushes back, that tells me as a mother he can feel me to some degree. Yes their brains arent fully developed but im sure their nerves must send something to the brain recptors as far as pain goes! thats why it should be considered murder if its an abortion. If someone kills a woman thats 32 weeks pregnant he gets charged 2xs with murder but if a doctor does it its ok..no its not.
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Avatar universal
my little girl was born 9 weeks early and what a scary time it was she was a tiny 3lb 6oz but when i saw those 23 weekers i couldnt believe my eyes they were tiny little babies that just needed to grow how much pain would they feel getting aborted ????
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I found the show and I have BBC regular channel with the satellite company I have, but it was on BBC 2 and it wasnt available in the U.S.  But im sure it was a wake-up to some people. But thank you for sending my the link.
Helpful - 0
1527510 tn?1392301344
Also, you're right, the show wasn't about abortion. It was just that they happened to tie in the fact that abortion here is allowed up to 24 weeks, when babies are born at 23 weeks and are given help to survive. Just made me think how crazy that is that that can happen...sorry to anyone if what i wrote made out to be more abortion...was just a comparison :)
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1527510 tn?1392301344
The show was making more of a point about the financial issues of keeping a baby alive when it is born that prematurely. At the end, it was said that compared to other European countries, they feel that it really is not worth the all the money that goes into caring for babies born at that stage because statistics show that a high percentage does not survive in the end.
This also has to do with the fact that in the UK,  we have the national health service, so any money put into that has to be spread around all areas of healthcare, and they feel that the money used for treating these babies would be better spent elsewhere. (I don't fully know if this is something that is an issue in the US because you have private healthcare etc).
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I saw the article about the same exact show you watched. I personally know two premature babies born before 24 weeks who are alive and well today. One is legally blind (due to the bilirubin light, NOT his prematurity. When he was born 25 years ago they didn't put blinders over babies' eyes in the bili-light). The other one actually lives down the street from me. He was born several months early and is doing really well. I haven't heard of any physical or mental delays as of yet. He's still a baby.

Anyway I think that for some people they feel it is cruel for a premature baby to be born and put through all the torture in the NICU to try to keep them alive only for them to end up dying. I THINK that was a point they were trying to make (not sure if the article I read kept out some things from the show).

What I read wasn't about abortion but about severely premature birth. Unfortunately, just as we have to do with adults and the elderly on life support, parents have to make the most difficult decision to "pull the plug" and not resuscitate their premature infants. I cannot say what I would do - let my severely premature baby suffer and fight for their life even if they end up severely disable or allow them to die peacefully and get to hold them. I just don't KNOW what I would do.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Ill look for it right now.
I do believe it can feel pain..if a baby is 24 weeks theyll do everything to keep him/her alive. that baby will thrive on touch and hearing the mothers voice. so if it can feel touch it certainly can feel pain. Its wrong and for doctors to feel like theyre doing something holy is wrong. they feel like theyre helping one person..if they want to feel that way they should get the woman some counseling and get her to either keep her baby or give it to a woman that would give it everything and love him unconditionally. Its FREE to give the gift of a child to another family, you get the love and appreciation in return.
Helpful - 0
1527510 tn?1392301344
wow, I do believe that is a good idea, seeing their baby on the ultrasound could may well just change their mind, and save a life. Even if they don't want the baby they could at least give it a chance of life and have it adopted to a family who will want it and care for it.

I'm sure i've read something before, that says a baby can feel pain at that point so I believe you are right there.
I think the name of it was '23 week babies:the price of life'
it was on tv here in the uk...heres the link to it, not sure if it will work in the US, but at least you could try searching else were for it too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zf9vg/23_Week_Babies_The_Price_of_Life/
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
If a woman is having unprotected sex carelessly then she should be responsible enough to take care of what happens. Not by saying " oh ill just have an abortion." In Texas, they are trying to make it a law that a woman has to see her baby via ultrasound before she goes through with the abortion. I had a friend that was on her 3rd abortion when i was having my second miscarriage. I couldnt believe it. I dont see abortion as a "way out". And at 24 weeks it should be considered murder. A baby can feel pain at this point (i believe it can) and to be left to die is absolutely unacceptable. If your grown up enough to have unprotected sex your grown up enough to take care of your responsibilities.  ITS WRONG PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

TO: KITKAT1306
What was the name of that program? I want to see if i can find it.
Helpful - 0
1527510 tn?1392301344
Thank you ladies for you thoughts.
Personally I am against abortion...especially when it goes right up to the 24 week mark!
I do appreciate that everyone is entitled to their views and I definitely agree it is a very personal decision if you are faced with having a child born that prematurely, everyone is different and you never know what you will do if you were sadly faced with a decision like that, it would be a painful and heartbreaking experience for anyone.
Helpful - 0
1499174 tn?1327231194
my cousin had a baby and she came at 24 weeks .she was the size od an hairbrush and only weighed 500g her timy foot was the size of my grandads thumb nail and hand was the size of his little fingernail , he also has a nappy in his wallet that fits there snuggly and doesnt poke out lol it was soooo tiny any way that was nearly 7 years ago and today she is a perfect little lady whos very intelligent and goes to school and has friends like any normal little girl she was in hospital for a year after been born and has still got a feeding tube into her tummy as she still as probs with swallowing (psychologically)she can but chooses not to lol but i think wot im saying is i missed this programme but yeah i agree abortion is wrong at this point a baby at this point is worthy of life my cousin is LIVING proof of this ,the only time they should condonen this is if theres a serious prob with mother or baby xx
Helpful - 0
796506 tn?1370188305
In FL (where I am from) they told me I could abort (they thought my son had what they thought serious issues until I had my amnio) and I was 23 weeks 5 days... I would never abort no matter what was wrong with my baby... even if the baby had a 0% chance of living (still born or death after birth or dying while I was still pregnant) I just couldn't look myself in the mirror knowing that I had aborted my child. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it is a personal choice.
Helpful - 0
1536705 tn?1324329047
I am against abortion, I think it should happen naturally.

I watched an interview with the maker of this film.

Statistics show out of 100 babies born at 22 weeks, only 9 will survive, and out of those 9 babies only 1 will lead a normal life because the other 8 will be severely disabled..

The drugs they use to keep little babies alive increase the risk of severe disability such as cerabal palsy, increased risk of heart, lung kidney disease and so many more...
Most babies that survive are at a very high risk of severe disability and most end up needing 24/7 care for the rest of their lives.

I personally would not want my child to have that style of life, because there's very little quality in that life.
But on the hand if i was told my child has a 5% chance of living.. (babies born that early have a 5% chance)..I would do everything I possibly can to keep my child alive. This is a very sensitive subject and I dont think there is a right answer, it should be a decision made personally by those in that situation.
Helpful - 0
280369 tn?1316702041
Thanks Nicole and kitkat, Was definitely a hard time in our lives (still is), but now he no longer has to suffer and is in heaven. We still struggle financially from all of that, but I would have sold everything I had if it meant he would still be here. Just thankful to be able to still raise money for kids with the same disease and just raise awareness. We plan on having a big event this year and make it something we do every year.

But yea, a baby at any age should at least be given a chance to live, even if doctor's don't think they will make it, they deserve a chance for sure!
Helpful - 0
1514494 tn?1333584884
Absolutly and also about anti rape lessons i think if they start teaching sex ed at that age it will create more teen pregnancys because they will be more aware of there body earlier! Really is getting ridiculous.
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1527510 tn?1392301344
I seen that it the news today! I was shocked by it, I do think it is a bit to much information for children that young.
Here's the link to the article if anyone wants a read:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364360/Sex-education-Do-want-5-year-old-child-given-explicit-lessons.html
Helpful - 0
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