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A recent Care Quality Commission report into the Birmingham Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has revealed shocking issues and concerns facing student trainee nurses have regarding late-term abortion procedures.
 
The report stated that “the information on medical terminations of pregnancy did not include the risk of a late gestation foetus showing ‘signs of life’ and the potential requirement to register with the coroner”.
 
Nurses had reported ‘occasions when the condition of the foetus had given them cause for concern and the action they should take had been unclear”, and had also “expressed concerns they had not received training that would equip them to deal with the physical and emotional aspects of advanced gestation abortions.”

 
The report also noted that: “There were challenges around governance arrangements and risk management with termination of pregnancy service. For example, the new contract for the termination of pregnancy service had commenced in January 2015. At the time of the inspection training for staff had not been formalised despite concerns expressed by staff about the need for clarity regarding actions to be taken.”
 
The report went on to recommended ‘appropriate procedures for late gestation termination of pregnancy in cases where the foetus may be indicating signs of life’. It did not say that any attempts should be made to save the baby’s life.
 
The findings of the inspection are shocking but not surprising.  In a 2007 report, it was revealed that 66 babies were born alive following abortion in the UK and then left to die in 2005.  There was a great deal of outrage and media attention following that statistic and since then the NHS has failed to reveal the number of babies born following botched abortions.
 
The concern from these nurses are serious and ones that should be addressed by the hospitals and by the government.  While, currently in the UK, the unborn have few legal protections while they are still in the womb, once they are born they should be guaranteed protection under the law.
 
Abortion survivors such as Gianna Jessen and Melissa Ohden make it clear that babies who are born alive after abortion can survive and go on to lead happy lives if they are offered appropriate medical care.
 
Guidance should be offered to doctors and nurses who are in a situation where a child is born after abortion. These babies should not be simply left to die simply because they managed to avoid being killed by a legal abortion. It is essential that guidelines ensure that these babies are given appropriate emergency medical care and their lives should be protected.