Doctors at a hospital in Birmingham aborted a healthy baby instead of his sickly twin [1].
The incident occurred at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation and has come to light via a Freedom of Information request by The Independent.
The anonymous mother decided to abort one of her children because the baby was diagnosed with restrictive growth, with one of the twins having a problem with his placenta and failing to receive enough nourishment, causing his growth to be stunted.
However, during the abortion, doctors ended the life of the ‘wrong’ twin.
Chief medical officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust, Dr Fiona Reynolds, said: “A full and comprehensive investigation was carried out swiftly after this tragic case and the findings were shared with the family, along with our sincere apologies and condolences”.
“The outcome of that thorough review has led to a new protocol being developed to decrease the likelihood of such an incident happening again.”