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Mum performs CPR on baby born before abortion limit to save his life

A baby who was born below the abortion limit and given CPR by his mother to save his life is now a healthy two year old.

Baby Logan was born in Gloucestershire in June 2018, at 23 weeks and 4 days’ gestation, weighing only 550g. His mum, Anna Beard, had a difficult pregnancy from early on with frequent heavy bleeding from when she was around 13 weeks pregnant.

Anna said: “At 23 weeks I had a scan. I was asked if I wanted to continue the pregnancy as chance of survival was thought to be none”.

“There I was told I had no waters, I said I would carry on and I went home”.

“I was in my mind expecting to miscarry”.

A few days after the scan Anna started experiencing pain which got so bad she called an ambulance but before the ambulance could even arrive, her son Logan was born.

“The next second I had a baby in my hands”

“I was just at the front door getting ready to go. Then the pains were overwhelming. The bathroom is next to the front door. Stepped into the bathroom quickly and I had this feeling like painful wind. The next second I had a baby in my hands”, she said.

Babies born as early as Logan are often called micro-preemies. Amazingly, Anna performed CPR on her own newborn son to help him breathe and then watched him take his first breath.

After the paramedics arrived, Logan was sent to Bristol Children’s Hospital, which had the specialist equipment needed for such a premature baby.

Logan was in hospital from June to November before he was able to go home.

Anna said: “Logan was in Bristol for around two and a half months. Then we went to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital again”.

“He only weighed 550 grams”

Logan’s mum said: “I remember when I saw him, because he was so premature, his eyes were still fused shut. His toes and fingers were still almost webbed”.

“He only weighed 550 grams and he was quite almost see through. You could see all of his veins”.

“He was covered in an almost bubble wrap moisture blanket which almost simulates the womb. We were able to watch him develop almost how he would have if he was still in me growing”.

“I was able to give him a cuddle finally when he was three weeks old. Logan was so small and covered in all these wires”.

“Logan is now two years old, and yes he is a little bit behind in some ways, but he is a normal little boy”.

Born before the abortion limit

It is becoming more and more common for babies born before the abortion limit in Britain to survive. In October last year, an even more premature baby was born in Scotland almost 2 weeks below the abortion limit. Sofia Viktoria Birina weighed only 500g, but by February this year she was healthy enough to be sent home with her parents.

Baby Logan and baby Sofia are not alone in being born so prematurely and going on to survive. A study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in October 2019, followed 2.56 million babies born in Sweden between 1973 and 1997, around six percent of whom were born prematurely.

Researchers compared the health data of the premature babies to those that had been born at full term. They found that 55% of premature babies had no serious chronic, physical, or mental health issues by early adulthood. This is compared to 63% for babies born at full term.

Additionally, with each passing decade, the odds of survival for a premature baby to adulthood have improved from about 91% of babies born in the 1970s to about 96% of those born in the 1990s.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: “These wonderful stories of severely premature babies going on to survive are becoming almost common-place. How long will it take our lawmakers to re-examine our cruel abortion laws that permit abortion even after the point at which babies are able to survive outside of the womb?”

“Of course, babies who cannot survive outside the womb have the same dignity and worth as the babies that can, and their lives should not be ended either. But the fact that more and more premature babies are going on to survive undercuts one of the main reasons given for our current abortion law”.

Image credit: Images are stock photos and used for illustrative purposes only.

Dear reader,

You may be surprised to learn that our 24-week abortion time limit is out of line with the majority of European Union countries, where the most common time limit for abortion on demand or on broad social grounds is 12 weeks gestation.

The latest guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks. The latest research indicates that a significant number of babies born at 22 weeks gestation can survive outside the womb, and this number increases with proactive perinatal care.

This leaves a real contradiction in British law. In one room of a hospital, doctors could be working to save a baby born alive at 23 weeks whilst, in another room of that same hospital, a doctor could perform an abortion that would end the life of a baby at the same age.

The majority of the British population support reducing the time limit. Polling has shown that 70% of British women favour a reduction in the time limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks or below.

Please click the button below to sign the petition to the Prime Minister, asking him to do everything in his power to reduce the abortion time limit.