Distressing photo appears to show aborted baby sucking thumb while left to die

A photo from Australia is alleged to show a 16-week-old abortion survivor sucking his thumb as he's left to die.

Key Takeaways:

• Australian pro-life activist Dr. Joanna Howe shared a photo of an alleged 16-week-old abortion survivor left to die. The image was said to have been shared with her by a whistleblower in the hospital.

• "Baby Samuel" is seen in the photo with his thumb in his mouth. He reportedly lived for 30 minutes after his abortion.

• Abortionist Dr. Elisha Broom has testified that babies born alive during abortions aren't considered "failed" abortions, but are "not an unexpected, unintended consequence. We know these babies will be born alive, but they're previable."

• Midwives have come forward to share stories of babies left to die alone for as long as five hours in plastic containers meant to catch urine.

The Details:

Dr. Joanna Howe, a Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide and a pro-life activist, shared a photo of "Baby Samuel" on Twitter last week, who was said to have been aborted alive and left to die in what's known as a "butterfly room" — a special suite for parents who experience a stillbirth. Howe wrote:

“This is baby Samuel. Born alive after an abortion at 16 weeks, he sucked his thumb in the Butterfly Room at a QLD hospital. He lived for over 30 minutes. He was perfectly healthy prior to his abortion. Babies who survive their abortion have no legislative right to equal treatment and care under QLD law. He was left to die. No-one picked him up, wrapped him or gave him any medical care to alleviate his pain and suffering.

This photo was passed onto me by a hospital worker who was called to look at him by others who were watching him as he sucked his thumb after his abortion. Already it is being censored online and pro-abortion activists are seeking to identify the brave whistleblower who risked their career to give us this photo.”

Samuel's picture has spread around the globe thanks to social media, but pro-abortion groups and Townsville Hospital in Queensland are claiming there is no evidence that Samuel is an abortion victim who was born alive and left to die.

Townsville Hospital is said to be investigating the situation as a privacy breach, and The Guardian reported, "No evidence was given to support" that Samuel was born alive during an abortion, and "health experts have previously said claims by anti-abortion activists that large numbers of babies are 'born alive' after abortions are misleading..."

Reality Check:

However, even abortionists have admitted that babies are born alive during abortions. In an episode of her podcast, Howe shared testimony from Dr. Elisha Broom, acting director of obstetrics at Logan Hospital and counsellor for RANZCOG. Broom said:

We should be really clear that babies born alive at these gestations, say 16-22 weeks, resulting from an abortion, is not a failed abortion. It's not an unexpected, unintended consequence. We know these babies will be born alive, but they're previable. So this is existing practice. This is what happens with the current legislation.

Howe also shared testimony from a whistleblower, midwife Louise Adsett, who works at the same hospital as Broom.

Adsett testified that she had witnessed babies born alive after abortions from 15 to 22 weeks. They were "gasping for air, moving, and having a palpable heart rate," she said, adding that they were alive for up to five hours. She noted that the babies born alive during abortions are often put into plastic devices used in toilets to collect urine, are covered, and are then taken from the room to die.

She cried, stating, "This is not an uncommon occurrence," adding that she had recently witnessed a baby born alive at 15 weeks after the mother was given mifepristone.

In a video, Howe shared abortion paperwork, including the date and time, sex, weight, abortion drugs used, and any injury to the mother, all taken from hospital records. She blocked out the names of the women, but named one of the babies "Amira." The president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), Dr. Nisha Khot, said that sharing the information is "deplorable."

“This is just preying on vulnerable people. This is such a vulnerable time for them and their families, they’re going through something that is heartbreaking,” she said.

The chief executive of the Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Kieran Keyes, said the social media posts are a "serious breach of confidentiality."

But, as Howe told The Guardian, "The world needs to see baby Samuel's face and hear Amira's story. When we choose to look away from the victims of genocide, the violence continues."

In a video, she explained that Samuel is not an outlier. In 2022, 50 babies were born alive during abortions in Australia.

New QLD Whistleblowers EXPOSE Brutal Late Term Abortions | Ep 166

During her podcast, Howe shared the story of one baby born at 25 weeks during a "social termination." The mother was a married immigrant who had an affair while in Australia on a temporary work visa and wanted an abortion to hide her actions. She cried during her abortion, apologizing to her baby, and later had footprints taken of the baby girl she aborted.

Howe also shared the story of Baby Cash, who was aborted at 27 weeks after being created through IVF. He was aborted because he had an extra thumb.

Another story from a midwife involved a 23-week-old baby who was aborted alive and left for hours to die.

Howe has repeatedly provided evidence appearing to show these tragic and horrific stories are real.

Stories of abortion survivors have been in existence for a long time; former nurse Jill Stanek became a whistleblower after witnessing induced labor abortions (with babies left to die) at a suburban Chicago hospital in the 1990s. Stanek later became a pro-life activist after she personally held a second-trimester abortion survivor with Down syndrome for hours until he passed away; she had intercepted a colleague who was taking the baby boy to a soiled utility room to die alone.

The Bottom Line:

For years, pro-lifers have been sounding the alarm that babies survive abortions and are left to die or are actively killed. Howe has gathered evidence that proves this to be true in Australia, and the heartbreaking image of Baby Samuel exposes the horrific truth that induced abortion intentionally and directly kills innocent children.

"He survived his abortion and was born alive and then left in a room by himself, sucking his little thumb, until he died. We need to stand up for these little babies who are being killed right up until birth, and if by some miracle they survive their abortion, they’re being left to die," said Howe.

On February 9, Howe and other pro-lifers will gather outside Queensland Parliament in a public rally in honor of aborted babies. She has also started a petition to stop the government from censoring Samuel's photo.