A Canadian hospital policy allows planning Do-Not-Resuscitate orders for babies who might be born alive after abortions, triggering urgent calls to protect newborns.
Story Highlights
- Alberta Health Services policy PS-92 allows pre-planned Do-Not-Resuscitate before a possible live birth after abortion.
- Policy language directs “comfort and palliative care” instead of requiring resuscitation for liveborn infants.
- Reports cite 17 Alberta infants born alive in one year and then not given life-sustaining care.
- Advocates want a clear rule: any infant with signs of life must receive resuscitation and neonatal care.
Policy Language That Triggers The Dispute
Pro-life advocates in Alberta point to Alberta Health Services Termination of Pregnancy Policy PS-92, section 6.4. They report it instructs clinicians to consider and document a Do-Not-Resuscitate order “in anticipation of a possible live birth.” They also cite language that “comfort measures and palliative care should be provided” rather than a requirement to resuscitate. These cited passages are central to the current push for change and are the basis of renewed public scrutiny.
Coverage adds that a related Alberta Health Services clinical document, identified as HCS-183-01, outlines a “non-interventional approach” for certain extremely premature infants. Reports say this includes infants delivered after an induced or spontaneous premature delivery. Critics argue this framework separates infants born after attempted abortions from other premature babies by using pre-set non-intervention pathways, rather than defaulting to resuscitation when signs of life appear.
Claims About Live Births And Care Decisions
Pro-life reporting alleges that one Alberta hospital recorded 17 infants born alive after abortions in a single year, and that life-sustaining treatment was not provided in those cases. The same coverage says Alberta totals have been higher in other years. The articles urge a firm change in policy to require active neonatal care whenever there are signs of life, regardless of how the birth occurred. Those figures and demands drive the current public debate.
Commentary further contrasts the policy language with Canadian law. The reporting highlights Criminal Code section 223, which recognizes a child who is born alive as a legal person. Advocates argue this legal status should trigger mandatory resuscitation unless a clinical determination, after birth, shows no chance of survival. They contend that planning a Do-Not-Resuscitate order before a possible live birth conflicts with the duty owed to a newborn who shows signs of life.
What Advocates Want The Minister To Do
Pro-life groups urge Alberta’s health minister to direct Alberta Health Services to revise PS-92. They want a clear rule that any infant born with signs of life must receive resuscitative care and neonatal assessment, rather than an assumed path of comfort care. They also seek consistent standards that match how hospitals treat other premature infants of similar gestational age and condition, no matter the reason for delivery. They say this would align policy with the protection owed to newborns.
Supporters of reform also press for transparent records. They want anonymized data on gestational age, signs of life, attempted resuscitation, and outcomes. They argue that clear numbers will show whether babies who survive abortions get the same chance at life as other premature newborns. They add that unambiguous care rules reduce confusion for clinicians and protect parents from tragic uncertainty at the bedside.
Clinical Context And The Viability Question
Neonatal guidance recognizes two linked but separate issues: a liveborn infant’s legal and moral status, and whether resuscitation helps at very early gestations. Professional guidance notes that care can mean intensive treatment or palliative support based on prognosis, gestational age, the baby’s condition at birth, and parental input. Advocates in Alberta accept that context but say the starting point for a liveborn infant should be active care unless a clinician, after birth, determines treatment is futile.
The heart of the Alberta push is simple and specific. First, stop planning Do-Not-Resuscitate orders “in anticipation of a possible live birth.” Second, require immediate neonatal assessment and resuscitation when there are signs of life, regardless of how the pregnancy ended. Third, make the records clear and public in aggregate form. Reform supporters say these steps defend the most vulnerable, match common-sense ethics, and uphold equal dignity for every newborn in Canadian care.
Sources:
todayville.com, westernstandard.news, lefttodie.ca
