Three More "October Babies" That Survived

All three of these live-born infants lived to go home, one of them to the loving arms of an adoptive family.

Suction abortion performed due to misdiagnosed fetal age, infant suffered extensive lacerations and abrasions but survived after NICU care: Carol P. filed suit after her ordeal. She was examined by employees at Portland Feminist Women's Health Center on June 24, 1985. Staff estimated Carol's pregnancy at 13-15 weeks. Carol returned for an ultrasound on June 26 by John Wayne Loomis, and she was instructed to return on June 28. She returned on June 29, and was informed pregnancy was 16 weeks. After two unsuccessful attempts by Dr. Gilda Lorensen to abort the pregnancy by suction, Carol was transferred to a hospital where physicians discovered that the fetus was actually of 29-30 weeks gestation. They transferred Carol to Bess Kaiser Hospital, where an infant girl, Brandi Nycole, was delivered by C-section the following day. Brandi suffered bruises and lacerations, and was abraded "from her left shoulder blade to her anus and leg." She also had "extensive abrasions, lacerations, wounds and pain to her right shoulder, side, back, buttocks, rectum and legs." Brandi was hospitalized 5.5 weeks, during which time she suffered "respiratory distress syndrome, infections, apnea and jaundice."

Unspecified first-trimester abortion attempt on 27-weeks-pregnant woman, baby survived: Dr. Fred H. Pulver voluntarily surrendered his medical license at the age of 79 in the wake of allegations regarding his January 18, 1990 attempt to perform an abortion on a woman who gave birth to a three-pound, 27-week baby boy five days later. Pulver said that the woman was obese and had deliberately misstated her last menstrual period in order to get the abortion. Pulver had estimated the pregnancy as 11 weeks. Planned Parenthood Health Services of Northeastern New York, where the abortion was attempted, did not have an ultrasound to verify estimated gestational age.

Saline abortion, rescued by another doctor and lived to be adopted: An August 2, 1981 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer said that in April of 1973, Dr. Xavier Hall Ramirez initiated a saline abortion at Greater Bakersfield Hospital. The patient expelled a live 4.5 pound infant. Nurses called Ramirez, who ordered them to discontinue the oxygen they were giving the baby. Another doctor countermanded that order, and the infant survived to be adopted. Ramirez was indicted for solicitation to commit murder.