TWO DAYS SHORT

Infant Left Untreated Because of U.K. Health Rules

London, England, Sep 10, 2009 (CNA).- Doctors in England ignored a mother’s pleas for help and left her extremely premature baby to die because he was born two days before a hospital guidelines’ recommended cutoff age for providing medical treatment.

In October 2008 Sarah Capewell, 23, gave birth to her son just 21 weeks and five days into her pregnancy, almost four months early.

She told the Daily Mail that doctors ignored her pleas to save Jayden, her newborn son. They said they were following national guidelines which say babies born before 22 weeks should not be given medical treatment.

Capewell said doctors refused even to see her son, who lived for almost two hours without any medical support. She reported that he was breathing unaided, had a strong heartbeat and was moving his arms and legs. However, medics refused to admit him to a special care unit.

They said they would have tried to save Jayden if he had been born two days later, at 22 weeks into pregnancy...

“I kept asking for the doctors but the midwife said, ‘They won't come and help, sweetie. Make the best of the time you have with him’,” Capewell told the Daily Mail.

She cuddled her son and took photos of him. He died in her arms less than two hours after his birth.

Ah, what a difference two days make. In this case, it spells the difference between life and death.

The doctors would rather follow "national guidelines" that spells it so. The guidelines probably determined that a baby below 22 weeks is not a human being and therefore not entitled to any medical care whatsoever, despite the pleadings of the mother. A life is at stake but they have to be rigid with the guidelines. Never mind if that "thing" was breathing, had a strong heartbeat, and was moving its arms and legs. No, it can't be human. It's two days short.