22-Week Viability: An Abortion Game-Changer?

By Heather Sells

CBN News Reporter

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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A new study shows that babies born as early as 22 weeks who receive active medical treatment have a chance at survival.

The New England Journal of Medicine reports survival rates at 23 percent for babies born at 22 weeks, and 33 percent for babies born at 23 weeks.

Active treatment includes the use of breathing machines, feeding tubes, and heart resuscitation.

For babies that only received so-called comfort care, the survival rates declined to 5 percent for those born at 22 weeks, and 24 percent for those born at 23 weeks.

The study involved nearly 5,000 babies born before 27 weeks at 24 hospitals.

A new bill by House Republicans would require doctors performing late-term abortions to take steps to help aborted babies deemed viable survive. Arina Grossu, with the Family Research Council, shares her thoughts on the bill and its significance below:

Survival without severe impairment was also higher with active treatment: 15 percent versus 3 percent at 22 weeks, and 25 percent versus 18 percent at 23 weeks.

The study found that hospitals vary in their treatment of extremely premature newborns.Four hospitals in the study never actively treated babies at 22 weeks, but five other hospitals did so consistently.

Dr. Edward Bell, with the University of Iowa, one of the study's leaders, said parents need to know that "the hospital that you go to might determine what happens to your baby."

Another study leader, medical student Matthew Rysavy, said hospitals should give parents better information on survival rates -- not just by gestational age but also by what happens if active care is given.

"A doctor might say 'no 22-week infant has ever survived,' but that might mask the fact that doctors there don't try because they don't consider such babies viable," Rysavy said.

About 12,000 babies are born between 22 and 25 weeks each year in the United States. A full-term pregnancy is considered to be about 40 weeks.

Despite medical advances, the rates of cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, asthma, and other major problems have not changed much for extremely premature babies.

The study marks the first major look in the United States at how preemies fare according to the care they get and it could affect the debate on abortion.

The Supreme Court has said that states must allow abortion if an unborn baby is not viable outside the womb.

Until now, most medical experts have considered that age to be 24 weeks. However, medical groups are now discussing whether to lower the consensus on the age of viability.