A tragedy is being reported by the pro-life group Created Equal involving a Columbus, Ohio, hospital staff that stood by and refused to even evaluate twin boys born at 22 weeks 5 days gestation despite their mother’s desperate pleas for help. Both boys were born alive, moving, and breathing. Neither of them survived.

Created Equal released a shocking video taken at the mother’s hospital bedside and documentation of the incident, which occurred at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, in June of 2017.

“It is outrageous that Riverside Methodist Hospital turned callously away while these babies slowly lost their struggle for life. The anguish this caused the mother and the family is obvious from viewing the video,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “This hospital cannot be allowed to withhold life-saving medical intervention from premature babies that have a good chance of survival if treated, as these babies did. We simply cannot stand idly by and watch this happen to others. This hospital must be held accountable.”

Here is what happened, according to the Created Equal report:

Pregnant with twins, Amanda entered Riverside Methodist Hospital in June of 2017 at 22 weeks and 2 days in her pregnancy after experiencing bleeding. Riverside staff informed her that if the boys were delivered before 22 weeks and 5 days, there would be no attempt to resuscitate. Twins Emery and Elliot were born three days later, at 22 weeks and 5 days.

Emery survived for 45 minutes after his birth. A neonatal doctor put Emery under a heat lamp, but there was neither assessment of nor assistance given to him. Elliot, born second, was much larger. He survived for over two hours while assessment and assistance were denied in spite of Amanda’s cries for help.

Later, when Amanda was discharged, she was treated as if her sons were stillborn, and was given discharge instructions for care after experiencing a still birth.

Despite Amanda’s efforts to seek some resolution with the hospital through private channels, she has been informed that the matter is considered closed.

Amanda did not even get so much as a statement of condolence from them on the death of her sons.

• See evidence Emery and Elliot were born at 22 weeks, five days.
• See stillbirth discharge papers Amanda was given.
• Read Amanda’s statement regarding the incident.
• Listen to audio of the hospital’s statement considering the matter “closed.”

This tragedy holds a sad irony. The Federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act of 2002 required abortion facilities to provide treatment to babies born alive during abortions. It was amended in 2018 to provide criminal penalties for failing to do so.

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Also, babies born at 22 weeks have been known to survive and many medical professionals believe 22 weeks should be the new landmark for viability.

“How can this hospital get away with denying life-saving medical treatment viable premature babies when abortionists can be held criminally responsible for doing exactly what this hospital did?” asked Newman. “In this case, the hospital staff betrayed the family’s trust in the most tragic way imaginable. It may not be criminal conduct, but it should be.”

Take Action!

Operation Rescue is joining with Created Equal in contacting on Riverside Methodist Hospital to issue an apology to Amanda and her family for failing to even attempt to save Emery and Elliot’s lives, and for wrongly treating Amanda as if her babies were stillborn.

Please also request that Riverside Methodist Hospital change their policies to ensure that this never happens to another family.

Please e-mail and call the hospital!

E-mail Riverside Methodist Hospital CEO David Blom
Call Blom at (614) 544-4412.

LifeNews.com Note: Cheryl Sullenger is a leader of Operation Rescue.