what do you think about that baby that survived, being born at 22 weeks?

Question

some people do not think a baby can survive out of the womb, prior to 9 months- this proves to me if I had any doubts before , which I didn't that life is life- from the moment of conception- if you saw pictures of the baby it was only 10 ounces and 91/2 inches long- not much longer than a pen.

yes it was a miracle, I am not negating this- ALL LIFE is a miracle don't you think? Even though medical science was used to help that child survive, life had to be there in the first place.

to Deidre h-
about the eggs that are not fertilized and implanted, that is caused by the Creator- only He has the right to give and take a life- not the person that is already pregnant

Answer 1

I think that God has performed a great mercy and miracle right before our eyes!

Answer 2

22 weeks is 5.5 months, the current medical age of viability is 5 months.

This birth says nothing but, "Hey, cool. Medical science rocks." There is absolutely nothing miraculous about it.

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Ydoncha: Just out of sincere curiosity ... let's say medical science develops an artificial womb, and it's so good that you could literally place a sperm and egg in it and it would do the rest of creating and sustaining a pregnancy. It could also take a baby attached to a detached placenta, make the appropriate connections, and sustain the fetus.

In short -- no mother would ever again have to be involved in carrying her child, she would not have to abort because the thing could be removed and placed into this artifical womb.

Would you still find it moral for a woman to abort at any ranges of time of her pregnancy (ie: many pro-choicers I know still feel it is immoral after a few weeks, but will claim the first week or two its fair game)?

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Deidre: The new human life forms at conception (fusing of sperm and egg) and at that point is more important than the mother. However, if the mother cannot carry it to viability without dying, then your choice is lose both or lose just the baby -- this and only this justifies abortion, because the child is going to die no matter what. If the mother can sacrifice her life though and make it to viability (say, refuses chemotherapy even though her cancer will kill her for certain after she gives birth), then she is morally obligated to.

Answer 3

If you believe that life is life from the moment of conception, that's fine. A single sperm is alive, and therefore life. So is an egg. Does this mean that every cycle that a woman fails to conceive, a human life is lost?

Many, perhaps most, fertilized eggs are spontaneously aborted, some prior to attachment, some shortly after. Is each of these a life to be mourned?

The point is that life exists even prior to fertilization. When, at exactly what moment, do we consider it fully human life, and worth greater value than that of the mother or her health?

Should a woman who is fertile refrain from any kind of strenuous activity after sex until we are able to prove her either pregnant or not, for fear of damaging a potential fetus?

The point is that there are many different points of view. Personally, I believe that abortion for the sake of convenience is wrong, It's not my place though to impose my personal opinion on others as the law of the land.

Answer 4

I was born at 24 weeks and weighed 1 pound 8 oz. I was in the hospital for 9 months. So yes it is possible with the right medical equipment. It's a miracle.

Answer 5

If we're talking about stem-cell research (which takes apart an 150 cell embryo) takes away life you are sorely mistaken. If you say, taking this child's" life is immoral, there could be thousands of people saved because of it.

If we're talking about abortions. Abortions should be used when the child is a danger to the mother and may have health effects that will lead the child to an severely abnormal life style. Abortions should also be used when the parents cannot afford to care for the children or the child was a product of incest or rape.

Answer 6

It's not unusual for a child to survive before full term, but it is unusual for one to survive before 7 months. This particular baby is pretty much a miracle, being almost 4 months early.

Answer 7

Many, many babies survive long before 9 months in the womb. Science saved the 22 week old.

Answer 8

My granddaughter was born at 26 weeks. She weighed 1 # 5 oz. Was 12" long. Today
she is 9 years old. She is truly one of Gods miracles. This I know for sure. Anything is possible with God.

Answer 9

Having had a baby that weighed less that 3 pounds myself, I think that the baby and the parents have a long and difficult road ahead of them. Babies that small have incredible problems later with development, reading, vision, hearing and coordination. I feel for them as it is a terrible emotional roller coaster for the family.

As for life starting at conception and that whole debate, I think that the two topics are mutually exclusive.

Answer 10

I think it's a great testimony to our technological advancements in medicine, but I also am concerned that in the future, they will be able to manufacture children from an egg and sperm without the need of a woman to carry it. Who knows where it will lead? With so many orphaned, needy, and starving children in this world, it seems strange to spend so much time and money on making children by augmented, artificial means.

Answer 11

I don't think anyone thinks that only 9 month fetuses are able to survive any longer...

There is a world of difference between a few weeks in and 22 weeks in. You know this.