When is a baby's life viable?

The current debate going on in the UK about when is a baby viable, and how hard should medical staff try to 'save' a very premature baby is heart wrenching. Nobody wants their baby to die, but do people realise how hard it is to look after a severely disabled child, who then becomes a severely disabled adult? Advances in medical techniques mean that babies can be 'saved' at even earlier gestation, but should they? People should be told that the chances of their very premature baby living without disability is very small - and that most premature babies will have SOME form of disability. They should also realise that most very early babies DO die, and not expect miracles from the hospital staff. On the other hand, it is not right that if you do have a premature baby, that you might have to go hundreds of miles away to get the neonatal intensive care cot needed to give your baby the chance to survive. Staffing levels at neonatal intensive care units need to be addressed, and properly funded. If the needs for these cots is rising - due to advances in medicine and an increase in multiple births - as a nation we should be investing in our future and providing them, but we still need to be realistic about the quality of life that some of the survivors of very early birth will have. Advances in medicine will continue, but a line needs to be drawn, and soon.

Some sick babies must be allowed to die, says Church

Fight for life