Re: Darwin & evolution
And, don't forget, an unborn baby is a viable human inside the mother's womb who can be saved alive if born premature if proper medical procedures are followed.
A 23 week old fetus is viable in utero, only. The Saybie baby is an anomaly. Very premature babies' chances of survival are less than 20% meaning that 80% of the babies cannot be kept alive even when the latest and most extreme technology is used. The chances of a 23 week preemie being born with out some mental or physical handicap are only 20%
You keep believing that a c-section early into pregnancy puts an end to fetal death by abortion. It doesn't and it doesn't result in a normal child. The following has been posted before. C section is not a solution. Do not advocate for late term c-section after 28 weeks. That's exactly the same as telling a woman to avoid the abortion you disapprove she should carry the baby to term, give birth, then give away her child. That's an abomination to everyone except, apparently, white male religious conservatives.
Survival Rates of:
Babies born at 23 weeks have a 17% chance of survival
Babies born at 24 weeks have a 39% chance of survival
Babies born at 25 weeks have a 50% chance of survival
From 32 weeks onwards, most babies are able to survive with the help of medical Technology [EPICure data]
Outcomes
10% of premature babies will develop a severe, permanent, life long disability such as lung disease, cerebral palsy, blindness or deafness.
50% of premature babies born before the 26th week of gestation are disabled, a quarter severely so. (Fowler GA. Preemie problems: the sobering statistics. US News World Reports 2000; vol 129: pp56.)
Of children born before 26 weeks' gestation, results in 241 of the surviving children at six years (early school age) indicate a high level of disability as follows:
*22% severe disability (defined as cerebral palsy but not walking, low cognitive scores, blindness, profound deafness)
*24% moderate disability (defined as cerebral palsy but walking, IQ/cognitive scores in the special needs range, lesser degree of visual or hearing impairment)
*34% mild disability (defined as low IQ/cognitive score, squint, requiring glasses)
*20% no problems
This study also showed a greater risk of severe disability and lower cognitive function results for boys compared with girls. This supports the theory that male sex is an important risk factor in extremely preterm infants.
Cognitive and neurological impairment is common at school age amongst extremely preterm children. [N Engl J Med 2005; 352: 9-19.] Epicure data