Second Ohio Baby in Six Months Survives Apparent Beginning Phase of Three-Day Partial-Birth Abortion Procedure

By Liz Townsend

Illustrating that partial-birth abortions may be as prevalent as pro-lifers suggest, for the second time in six months a baby in the middle of this three-day abortion procedure was born alive in an Ohio hospital when her mother went into labor before the abortion could be completed.

While "Baby Hope" died after a three-hour struggle for breath in April, the good news is that "Baby Grace," born August 4 at 1.5 pounds, is still fighting for her life at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton.

"By mere hours, another baby apparently escaped a brutal death by partial-birth abortion - - but at great cost," said Peggy Lehner, executive director of Dayton Right to Life. "Forced to be born much too soon, this baby is at high risk for lifelong medical problems. We need to ban this barbaric procedure."

An anonymous tipster told pro-lifers about the baby, whom they nicknamed "Grace." Good Samaritan later confirmed that the baby, born at about 26 weeks of age, was a patient there, Lehner told NRL News.

Baby Grace is in the temporary custody of the Montgomery County Children Services Board, which will determine if the girl can be placed with a family member or made available for adoption once she is well enough to be released from the hospital, the Dayton Daily News reported. Like the health care workers at Bethesda North Hospital in Montgomery, Ohio, who were with Baby Hope during her short life, neonatologists and others who are caring for Baby Grace "can't believe something like this could happen," Lehner said.

"Doctors involved in her care have obviously been deeply affected by this child," said Lehner. "In fact, some of the doctors have set up a trust fund for the baby at a local bank for her medical expenses down the road."

(Donations can be mailed to Baby A Fund, Bank One, 3075 Woodman Dr., Dayton, OH 45429.)

According to Lehner, hospital neonatologists determined that Baby Grace spent 26 weeks in her mother's womb when the abortion attempt began, giving her a much better chance to survive the early birth. In contrast, Baby Hope was only 22-25 weeks old.

Both abortions were being performed at the Women's Med Center in Dayton, a clinic run by abortionist Martin Haskell, who first described how to perform the partial-birth abortion procedure in a 1992 paper. According to a statement released to the press, the clinic acknowledged "one of our patients miscarried at a Dayton hospital. Hundreds of women miscarry during the second trimester in the United States each week."

A partial-birth abortion usually takes three days to complete. On the first two days, the woman's cervix is dilated (opened) using drugs or other artificial means. This allows the abortionist, on the third day, to pull the baby feet-first out of the womb until all but her head is delivered.

The abortionist then punctures the baby's skull, suctions out the brains to collapse the skull, and completes the delivery of the now-dead baby. Both babies were spared this brutal third day when their mothers went into labor during the dilation phase of the procedure and were taken to the emergency rooms of nearby hospitals.

Nurse Connie Boyles and medical technician Shelly Lowe, who spoke publicly about Baby Hope and her brief life, have both been reprimanded by Bethesda North Hospital for "compromising patient confidentiality," according to columnist Mona Charen. Boyles has since resigned from her position at the hospital, while Lowe remains there while she fights to clear her record, Lehner said.

A bill to ban partial-birth abortions in Ohio is currently being considered by the state House's Criminal Justice Committee. One hearing has been held so far, and the committee members will soon vote on whether to send the bill to the full House, according to Lehner.