Shock Video: Infants Die While Mother Pleads for Help, Hospital Staff Refuse to Assist
Contact: Mark Harrington, Created Equal, 614-419-9000, Mark@CreatedEqual.org
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 23, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Twin preemie newborn boys died while staff at Riverside Methodist Hospital (Columbus, OH) refused to assist them. The boys' mother, Amanda, had been told they would be stillborn or breathe only for a moment, but both were born alive. One breathed and cried for two and a half hours while Amanda pled for help and Riverside staff stood by. Watch the shocking footage!
Pregnant with twins, Amanda entered Riverside Methodist Hospital in June of 2017 at 22 weeks and 2 days in her pregnancy after experiencing bleeding. Riverside staff informed her that if the boys were delivered before 22 weeks and 5 days, there would be no attempt to resuscitate. Twins Emery and Elliot were born three days later, at 22 weeks and 5 days.
Emery survived for 45 minutes after his birth. A neonatal doctor put Emery under a heat lamp, but there was neither assessment of nor assistance given to him. Elliot, born second, was much larger. He survived for over two hours while assessment and assistance were denied in spite of Amanda's cries for help.
Though her sons were born alive and died while Riverside staff refused to help, the hospital classified the incident "stillbirth"—sending Amanda home with stillbirth discharge papers.
The video is just now being released by Created Equal on Amanda's behalf in order to allow ample time for resolution through non-public channels. For example, we assisted Amanda in submitting internal complaints to the hospital, allowing Riverside the opportunity to respond privately. However, the hospital rebuffed these efforts, asserting they "consider this matter closed" in spite of the fact that, to date, there has been neither recognition from the hospital about this tragedy nor condolence communicated to the grieving family.
- Listen to audio of the hospital's statement considering the matter "closed."
According to a 2015 New England Journal of Medicine article, babies born at 22 weeks have greater likelihood of survival than previously thought when given assistance. Lead author of the study, Dr. Edward Bell, has said 22 weeks should be a new marker of viability.
Read stories of children born younger than Emery and Elliot who survived when given assistance:
Ohio law rightly protects unwanted babies from being killed by abortion at 20 weeks. We must also protect wanted babies at the same age from death by neglect.
