Two botched attempts at aborting a baby in Warsaw, Poland on March 7th lead to the baby being born alive and screaming unaided for one hour.
Witnesses say the incident was “horrific” and that the baby was visibly in agony but that personnel didn’t help the infant in any way.
The child died just one hour after being born and Polish media became aware of the story this week.
A major national debate on abortion has since broken out with calls for all abortions to be banned.
Anna Wiejak, the Polish reporter who broke the story and who is a member of the SOS Foundation to Save Unborn Children, said:
“The screams of this child were so traumatic for the personnel that they declared that they will never forget it”, “Some say they will leave their job as a result”.
One of the medical staff was so shocked by the encounter that they themselves went to the Polish media with the story.
Spokeswoman for the hospital where the tragic ordeal happened, Dorota Jaslowska-Niemyska said:
“Tests on the unborn child showed it had Downs Syndrome.”
The spokeswoman refused to answer questions as to why the baby was not assisted once it was alive.
As a result of the publicity, uproar occurred on Polish social media and many people are calling for a referendum to revoke abortion laws in the country. Politicians have voiced their concerns with one claiming they will have to hold a referendum. A national debate on abortion has now been re-opened as a result.