DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Jesus take the wheel: Sextuplets keep dying

**Dynasty** · 06-18-2007, 08:15 PM

I'm not going to pull any punches in this post. Fair warning.

If, as the article states, these children were born 4.5 months early, that would put them at the 20-22 week gestation stage. It is absolutely unconscionable that her doctors even attempted to resuscitate these fetuses. The survivability odds at 20 weeks is nil; at 22, next to nil. And those who would survive would in no way live what we would call a "normal life." (I could be more precise if I knew their birth weights.)

If any survive, they will almost certainly have profound, irreversible brain damage, to such an extent that they will never be able to speak or otherwise communicate. They will also almost certainly require tracheostomies and gastrostomies to maintain their life. They will likely have other dysfunctions in other organs, depending on their NICU course.

Frankly, this smacks of physicians' best medical judgment being overwhelmed by their fear of bad publicity. Those children should have been allowed to pass without the torture they are now going through, and the endless suffering they will experience in the future.

06-18-2007, 08:15 PM	#8
Dynasty Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 419 Senior Member	I'm not going to pull any punches in this post. Fair warning. If, as the article states, these children were born 4.5 months early, that would put them at the 20-22 week gestation stage. It is absolutely unconscionable that her doctors even attempted to resuscitate these fetuses. The survivability odds at 20 weeks is nil; at 22, next to nil. And those who would survive would in no way live what we would call a "normal life." (I could be more precise if I knew their birth weights.) If any survive, they will almost certainly have profound, irreversible brain damage, to such an extent that they will never be able to speak or otherwise communicate. They will also almost certainly require tracheostomies and gastrostomies to maintain their life. They will likely have other dysfunctions in other organs, depending on their NICU course. Frankly, this smacks of physicians' best medical judgment being overwhelmed by their fear of bad publicity. Those children should have been allowed to pass without the torture they are now going through, and the endless suffering they will experience in the future.
	Quote