WARNING ABOUT GRAPHIC CONTENT
A midwife has tearfully recounted cases of babies being born alive after abortions and struggling to breathe before being left to their own devices.
Louise Adsett, a clinical midwife who has worked in maternity and birthing units in Queensland for 14 years, provided evidence to a state parliamentary inquiry into the Termination of Pregnancy (Live Births) Amendment Bill 2024 on Monday.
Ms Adsett, appearing on behalf of the Australian Christian Lobby, said she had noticed an increase in the number of late-term abortions, for “psychosocial or financial reasons”, at the hospital where she works in Brisbane’s south.
“Sadly, in my hospital’s labour unit, where every new birth is celebrated and protected, there has been an increase in the number of social terminations of pregnancy at subsequent gestations and this is now commonplace,” Ms Adsett said.
“We have had babies born alive after terminations of pregnancy between 15 and 22 weeks, born alive, gasping, moving, and with a palpable heartbeat, fighting for their lives as we humans are designed to do.”
She added: ‘Sometimes babies born alive after an abortion are put in a witch’s hat and covered, taken out of the room and die while wearing that hat.
“This is distressing for many midwives as they are unable to provide any medical care to the baby and are limited to providing only palliative care, which simply involves swaddling and holding the baby.”
The mother of three described herself as a “conscientious objector” to abortion and said she would offer comfort to dying babies in their final moments.
Louise Adsett (pictured), a clinical midwife who has worked in maternity and birthing units in Queensland for 14 years, provided evidence to a state parliamentary inquiry into the Termination of Pregnancy (Live Births) Amendment Bill 2024 on Monday.
Ms Adsett, appearing on behalf of the Australian Christian Lobby, said she had personally witnessed an increase in the number of abortions for “psychosocial or financial reasons” at the hospital where she works in Brisbane’s south (file image)
Ms Adsett gave a distressing example of a mother who decided to abort her baby “when she was more than 21 weeks gestation” and was given the drug misoprostol in the morning.
“The process took all day and the baby was only born during the early hours of a night shift when there were minimal staff on duty,” Adsett told the inquiry.
‘This baby was moving vigorously, breathing heavily and had a palpable heartbeat that made it clear he was alive. He weighed over 400 grams, but the baby was a good weight.
‘The parents of this baby did not want to see him or hold him. Midwives and doctors had to sustain this tiny life while continuing to provide care to other women who were giving birth and welcoming their babies into the world.
“This baby fought for his life for five hours before taking his last breath. This is not an uncommon occurrence.”
Ms Adsett gave a distressing example of a mother who decided to abort her baby “at more than 21 weeks gestation” and was given the drug misoprostol in the morning.
Holding back tears, she added: “These babies deserve better. They deserve to have the same rights as all human beings.”
The bill, introduced by Robbie Katter of the Katter Party of Australia, aims to introduce legal protections for babies born as a result of a pregnancy termination procedure.
It is not designed to create a barrier to abortion, but to ensure that babies born alive receive the same level of medical care to enable them to survive whenever possible.
It is relatively rare for an aborted baby to be born alive.
University of Adelaide law professor Joanna Howe told the inquiry that between 2010 and 2020 there were 328 babies born alive and left to fend for themselves in Queensland, according to The Australian.
Professor Howe said the bill would bring Queensland in line with “recent best practice reform in South Australia and New South Wales, which provides for equal treatment of all children born alive in those jurisdictions, regardless of the circumstances of their birth”.