The mother of a baby girl born at 23 weeks has expressed joy at her survival and criticised the current abortion limit.
When Bella Davison arrived more than three months early, she weighed just over 1lb but is now doing well 12 weeks later.
Her mother Vicky joins other parents who oppose the 24 week abortion limit in light of recent figures which show the growing survival rate of 23 week babies.
Living proof
Vicky Davison said: “I think the abortion limit should be significantly lowered to 10 weeks unless there is a medical reason as to why it’s later.”
Vicky continued: “I know people whose babies were born at 23 weeks and their children are now going to school, so it shows that in this day and age babies can survive.”
Talking about Bella, she said: “On paper she is not ‘viable’, but she’s living, breathing proof that babies can survive from 23 weeks”.
Good health
Last week, The Daily Telegraph reported the story of Lucas Moore, one of the many babies born at 23 weeks who went on to do well.
Doctors predicted a very low chance of survival after Lucas was found to be suffering from bleeding on the brain.
However, Lucas has just celebrated his first birthday and is in good health. His mum Sylvia describes him as a “little fighter”.
Survival
Research has shown that the majority of babies born at 23 weeks survive with the help of specialist neonatal wards.
Recent figures show that at least 120 babies born at 23 weeks, one week before the legal abortion limit, have survived in the last four years.
Writing for Breitbart News earlier this month, Conservative MP Fiona Bruce said the 24 week abortion limit is “out of date” and the “viability” of a child is not a real measure of its value.
Critical thought
She said: “The idea that the right to life is dependent on an unborn child’s ‘viability’ runs into all sorts of problems when subjected to a little critical thought.”
Referring to the pro-abortion lobby, she warned: “Once you have enthroned choice, it becomes very difficult to criticise any particular exercise of that choice, even when the life that is being ended is unmistakeably one of us.”