Thanks to medical advancements over the last several decades, preborn babies as young as 21 weeks can now survive outside the womb — and Live Action News has shared many of their amazing stories. Despite this, many neonatal units in the United States aren’t equipped to help families with such micro-preemies, and, what’s worse, many often falsely tell parents that there’s no hope if they do have an infant born so early.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal illustrates two of the potential reasons parents aren’t given the information they need: high costs, and the ‘worry’ that a child might live with a disability.
One mother interviewed for the piece described how one hospital in suburban Minneapolis told her that no one could help her if her daughter was born at 22 weeks. It was only through a Facebook post that she discovered a hospital just seven miles away would care for her daughter. She arranged for a transfer, and thanks to excellent medical intervention, her daughter is now a thriving four-year-old. The article goes on to share stories of several families in similar situations — though sadly, some infants passed away due to lack of care.
Though not every hospital is equipped to deal with micro-preemies, according to the WSJ, “others have chosen not to offer the care, saying it is likely to fail, is expensive — typically more than $100,000 a child, and sometimes much more — and subjects tiny, fragile infants to needless pain and the risk of long-term disabilities.”
Some of the disabilities mentioned include “vision problems or blindness,” “extra oxygen or feeding tubes,” and “developmental delays.”
Joe Kaempf, a neonatologist with Providence Health System in Oregon, admitted that these factors dissuade many hospitals from helping, going so far to say he thinks it’s better if these young babies aren’t treated. According to Kaempf, “the survival and disability data isn’t good enough to justify hospitals routinely offering treatment to babies born at 22 weeks.”
He warns that an extremely premature child may become “a child with an IQ of 60 who will never live independently.” Kaempf also believes hospitals shouldn’t encourage families to seek treatment for their extremely premature children, calling it “taking advantage of the innate goodwill of pregnant women.”
This language is shocking, but it’s indicative of a larger overall disregard for the dignity and value of human life. Some people today think there’s nothing worse than living with a disability, so they justify killing preborn babies with a disability diagnosis. To some, it can make little sense to fight for those children at 22 weeks outside the womb if they weren’t prepared to fight for them inside the womb, especially if the prognosis is the same.
Parents shouldn’t need to rely on Facebook or word of mouth to know that help is available to them and their tiny babies. Though few parents expect to have an extremely premature birth, all should be prepared if it happens. There may be hope, even if the hospital says there is none. As one mother told WSJ, “At least give the parents that fighting chance.”
The organization TwentyTwoMatters has created a global map of hospitals that are willing to help premature babies as young as 22 weeks.
