Charlie and Harvey Baker were born at just 24 weeks in May 2017 weighing just over one pound each. The twins were a miracle, not just for surviving such an early birth, but because they also had the rare condition twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Doctors told their parents, Luci and Joseph, that the boys had a slim chance of surviving. Now they are three years old.
“Every day, Joseph and I are shocked and amazed by how incredibly they’re both doing,” Luci told Caters News. Their progress, along with the fact that babies as young as 21 weeks have survived, calls into question the reasoning behind the legality of abortions even after 24 weeks.
“Harvey and Charlie are proof that a baby born at 24 weeks can survive,” said Luci. “I couldn’t be more proud of Charlie and Harvey. They’re my heroes.”
Because of TTTS, there were concerns that Charlie, who was receiving a greater amount of blood flow, was getting more nutrition than Harvey and therefore Harvey would not do well or grow properly. In some instances, doctors advise abortion for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, though there is treatment available. At birth, Charlie and Harvey only had a two-ounce weight difference between them. But their early birth brought on concerns of its own.
Luci’s water broke at 20 weeks, but doctors were able to prevent labor for four more weeks, allowing the boys more time to grow.
“When I went into labor, Joseph and I just weren’t prepared at all. It all happened so quickly,” said Luci. After they were born, they were whisked away to the NICU and the new parents didn’t see them for three hours. “… [T]hat’s when it really hit us,” she said. “They were so tiny; you can’t even imagine a baby that small.”
READ: Mother works to change law after premature twins were denied life-saving care
Doctors said the boys had such a small chance of surviving that the parents should take things hour by hour. The boys proved to be fighters, taking on blood transfusions and bronchiolitis. It wasn’t until September that the boys were finally able to go home. But a month later, Harvey stopped breathing and a lack of oxygen led to visual impairment. He was in the hospital until May 2018, but today both boys are healthy.
“The thought of anyone getting rid of a baby that late is just awful,” said Luci. “When I came home, I signed a petition to have [the abortion limit] changed. Seeing how well they’ve done does make you think about the abortion limit. I’d never even considered it before, I just accepted it.”
Many people simply accept the abortion laws in their country or state. However, most would be shocked to know that abortion is completely legal up until birth in the United States under Roe v. Wade and its partner decision, Doe v. Bolton, for any reason, including a fetal diagnosis, health of the mother, or even “familial” reasons.
Late-term abortion is most often completed through a D&E abortion procedure, which literally dismembers the viable child limb from torso, and then crushes his or her skull. This procedure takes at least two days and if the physical health of the mother were truly at risk, an emergency C-section to attempt to save both mother and child is faster and safer. No child ever needs to be aborted for so-called medical reasons.
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