Baby Survives Abortion Attempt

A baby born at 22 weeks after surviving an abortion attempt is fighting for its life in an Italian hospital.

Italian news service ANSA said the mother decided to abort the fetus after it was mistakenly diagnosed with a birth defect.

The baby survived the abortion attempt but subsequently suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Doctors say the child is not expected to survive.

Careggi University Hospital in Florence, which is still reeling from the discovery last month that three patients received organs from an HIV-positive donor, defends the attempted abortion.

The hospital said an ultrasound scan showed only the risk of a deformity and the woman decided to have an abortion after consulting a private specialist, ANSA said.

Catholic lawmakers and pro-life groups are accusing the hospital of breaching Italy’s abortion law, which allows late-term abortions only when the mother’s health is at risk or the fetus is shown to have serious defects that constitute a grave danger for the physical or mental health of the woman.