Three separate stories of babies born at 23 weeks – one week before the abortion limit – have hit the headlines this week.
A growing number of premature babies are surviving, prompting calls to lower the legal abortion limit currently set at 24 weeks in England and Wales.
Baby Daisy weighed just 1lb 1oz when she was born at 23 weeks and her mother Kim has spoken of her joy after having suffered six miscarriages.
Hope
Baby Esme Poulsom was given just one per cent chance of survival by doctors when mum, Kirsty Bassett’s waters broke at 19 weeks.
But she refused to give up hope and when Esme was born she was so small she could fit in her mother’s hand.
Baby Lucas Georgiou weighed just 1lb 8oz when he was born. His hands were so tiny he could barely hold his mothers little finger.
Ecstatic
Doctors gave him a mere one in four chance of survival but little Lucas is said to be thriving.
Four months after his birth and four days before his due date Lucas’ parents Tracy and Costa were allowed to take him home for the first time.
Mum, Tracy says she is “ecstatic” about taking him home.
In October Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would back a reduction in the legal limit for abortion to 12 weeks.
Reduce
The Health Secretary previously voted in favour of a reduction to 12 weeks, and he has reaffirmed his personal view on the matter.
He said the moment we should deem life to start is an “incredibly difficult question” but his own view is that “12 weeks is the right point for it.”
But in response, Prime Minister David Cameron made clear he disagreed with reducing the limit to 12 weeks and said the Government has no plans to change the law on abortion.
Surviving
Earlier in the same month Equalities Minister Maria Miller said the abortion limit should be lowered from 24 weeks to 20.
Mrs Miller thinks the law should “reflect the way medical science has moved on.”
Premature baby care advances mean some children are surviving outside the womb before 24 weeks, the legal limit for abortion.