WILLisms.com: Baby Survives Abortion, Mom Sues Hospital.

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Baby Survives Abortion, Mom Sues Hospital.

In the United Kingdom, a woman is suing the government's National Health Service (NHS) for a quarter of a million dollars, because an abortion failed to kill her baby, named Jayde (although it did kill the baby's twin).

The Scotsman has the story:

A MOTHER who gave birth to a baby girl despite having gone through an abortion is to sue the NHS for £250,000.
In the first legal action of its kind in Britain, Stacy Dow is claiming her local NHS trust should pay to help her raise the daughter she never expected to have.

The Guardian, however, notes that this case is not entirely without precedent:

In 2001, Kim Nicholls, from Staffordshire, received a five-figure sum in compensation after a twin survived an abortion she had been advised to have on medical grounds.

The mother, Stacy Dow, in her own words:

"I only had a few weeks to prepare for Jayde’s arrival. I just couldn’t get my head around it. I had never even considered having children. I was too young."
"I still don’t know if, or what, I am going to tell Jayde when the time comes. Maybe when she is nine or ten, I will sit her down and explain it to her. I just hope that she understands what happened and why I did it.

"Of course, it will be much harder to explain to her that she had a twin."

"They told me in the hospital that the operation had been successful and there was nothing left in the womb.
I never had any reason to doubt that and I just put my weight gain and a lack of periods down to the contraceptive injection they gave me.

When I got to 33 weeks I went to the GP again and he told me I was pregnant. I was absolutely stunned. I didn't know what to say or do. It was obviously too far on to do anything.

My mother told my boyfriend's parents for me. They were shocked too.

Although I love her to bits, I have a child now that I wasn't planning to have and I believe the hospital should take some responsibility.

None of us would be without Jayde now but looking after her has been a financial struggle.

It has totally changed my life and my parents' lives."

The Telegraph notes:

The court papers say that as a result of the failed termination Miss Dow suffered "stress and anxiety upon the discovery of her continuing pregnancy".
The papers add: "She has the financial burden of care and upbringing of Jayde. She suffers an impediment in her ability to obtain employment in consequence of her care for the child."

Post-modernism at its worst: teetering toward a consequence-free society.

Posted by Will Franklin · 25 April 2005 09:52 AM

Comments

Let's file this under the frivolous lawsuit section... I really am astonished by how self centered people are!...I know these women love to use abortion as birthcontrol, But!!! this is ridiculous. I am thinking her mother should have told her to keep her legs crossed ...I really hope she doesn't get a dime, and she ends up having to pay legal fees for both sides!... I didn't read all of that yet because I was so sickened! I'll have to go back and read!

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at April 25, 2005 04:51 PM

How sick!

Posted by: Taffy at April 25, 2005 05:31 PM

Maybe the baby will sue the mother for trying to kill her.HMmmmm! Somehow this would seem like more of a real case...How can this actually be a lawsuit? I hope the judge throws it out immediately! I don't know how the judicial system works over there,but I hope they shame her out for even trying to sue!

Posted by: Lisa at April 26, 2005 06:16 PM

Too Darn Bad! ... I say if you are old enough to have sex. You are certainly old enough to know you can get pregnant!... That just goes to show how many abortions are used for birth control! 16 years old. She had no business having sex if she could not take the responsibility that goes along with it! Maybe she can let her daughter know what happens when you play adult games...She needs to count her blessings instead of acting as if her daughter is a burden! " Straight from heaven up above here is a baby for me to love" that is fom the Movie Dumbo!

Posted by: linda at April 26, 2005 09:12 PM

I can't believe she is trying to say the hospital needs to take some responsibility! Wow, that young lady has a lot of nerve! DON"T GIVE HER A DIME!

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at April 26, 2005 09:28 PM

She is playing the lame blame game.

Posted by: Hal at April 27, 2005 09:43 AM

I noticed, and was angered by, this as well.
Given her decision to abandon school, I suspect the government will invest about that much in welfare payments to her.
And did she every consider adoption? Because I'm certain that finding a stable family in Britain willing to adopt a white girl would be no problem at all.

Posted by: Half Canadian at April 27, 2005 02:17 PM