Pro-Life News in Brief
By Liz Townsend

Tiniest Surviving Baby Born in Illinois Hospital

The world's tiniest surviving premature baby, born weighing 8.6 ounces at only 26 weeks, is expected to leave Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, in early January. Rumaisa Rahman and her twin sister Hiba were born September 19, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The twins' mother, Mahajabeen Shaik, suffered from pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy, a condition with high blood pressure that endangers both mother and unborn babies, according to the AP.

Doctors decided to deliver the babies in an emergency Caesarean section to prevent severe complications that were beginning to develop, the Los Angeles Times reported. Hiba weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces at birth, more than double her sister's size.

"We were a little surprised at just how small Rumaisa was, but pleased to see that she was vigorous and seemed to be getting a good start," said obstetrician William MacMillan at a December 21 news conference, according to Agence France-Presse.

The babies needed laser surgery to correct vision problems often found in premature babies, Agence France-Presse reported. Subsequent tests have shown no further complications.

Rumaisa, who weighed 2 pounds, 10 ounces at the end of December, was expected to go home during the first week of January. Hiba, at a healthy 5 pounds, went home with her parents at the end of December.

"They're maintaining their temperature; they don't need an incubator. They're taking their bottles," MacMillan said, according to the AP. "They're normal babies."

Loyola University Medical Center has cared for more than 1,700 babies born under two pounds during the last 20 years, the AP reported, including the previous record holder. Madeline Mann, born at 9.9 ounces, recently visited Loyola to celebrate her 15th birthday.

Six Million Unborn Babies Killed in India Each Year

A recent study concluded that about six million babies in India are killed by abortion annually, 10 times the number estimated by the government in its last census, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported.

"Around 4.8 million abortions are performed by formal service providers and another one-third of the abortions by informal service providers," said Ravi Duggal, coordinator of study sponsor Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes, according to IANS.

Abortions are legal in India if one doctor (up to 12 weeks) or two doctors (from 12 to 24 weeks) believe that "the continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury to her physical or mental health; or there is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped."

As in the United States, the definition of "health" is very broad. According to the report's findings, "abortions are used frequently as a contraceptive to limit the family size or space out family," Duggal told IANS.

Manitoba Government Ordered To Pay for Private Abortions

A Canadian judge has ordered the province of Manitoba to pay for abortions performed in private clinics. The December 23 ruling by Associate Chief Justice Jeffrey Oliphant may force the province to compensate thousands of women who have opted to pay for a private abortion rather than wait for a free abortion at a public hospital, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

"In my view, legislation that forces women to have to stand in line in an overburdened, publicly funded health-care system and to have to wait for a therapeutic abortion, a procedure that probably must be performed in a timely manner, is a gross violation of the right of women to both liberty and security of the person," Oliphant wrote, according to the Free Press.

Only one Manitoba hospital, Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, performs free abortions under Canada's national health care system. Two women filed a lawsuit against the Manitoba government after they chose to have abortions in 1994 and 2001, respectively, at a clinic founded by notorious abortionist Henry Morgentaler, but had to pay the $400 fee themselves, the Winnipeg Sun reported.

Even before Oliphant's ruling, in July 2004, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority began paying for women to have abortions in the Morgentaler clinic, now called Jane's Clinic, according to the Sun. The court decision may spur more women to sue the government for reimbursement, and may also have an impact on other lawsuits challenging the nation's health care system.

Many Canadians criticized Oliphant for changing the law by judicial fiat, rather than allowing it to be considered by the people or their representatives, and despite previous court cases giving provincial governments the right to decide how to administer the funding of medical procedures.

"[I]n every relevant opinion poll I've seen for the last eight years, the vast majority oppose making taxpayers pay for private medical choices, especially abortion," wrote columnist Link Byfield in the Calgary Sun. "But apparently it doesn't matter what the duly elected government of Manitoba thinks, or the Canadian public, or the Supreme Court. All that counts, apparently, is how strongly Judge Oliphant feels about providing abortions free of charge."

Manitoba Health Minister Tim Sale told the Free Press that the government has not decided whether it will appeal the ruling.

Abortionist Arrested for Operating without a License

A Florida abortionist who lost his license in August for botching abortions has been charged with a felony for continuing to operate without a license. Robelto A. Osborne surrendered to authorities December 22, according to the Miami Herald.

Osborne practiced at A Gyn Diagnostic Center in Miramar. The Department of Health revoked his license last summer for not performing necessary pre-operative procedures, failing to treat a uterine perforation, and ignoring emergency calls from women complaining of severe bleeding and pain, the Herald reported.

In addition, according to health department records, a 41-year-old woman had to have a hysterectomy after Osborne left fetal parts in her uterus after an abortion in January 2000.

Police received an anonymous call notifying them that Osborne was still performing abortions. Authorities are also searching for Kieron A. Nisbet, who allegedly gave patients anesthesia although he does not have a medical license, according to the Herald.