French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life

Monday November 16, 2009
By Patrick B. Craine
ORANGE, France

(LifeSiteNews.com) - A hospital in the south of France has been found guilty of taking excessive measures when they successfully revived a newborn baby that had been declared stillborn. The case was brought by the parents, who are seeking 500,000 euros in damages.

The baby was born in an Orange hospital on December 14, 2002. The baby's heartbeat had dropped during delivery, and the baby seemed to be dead upon birth. After twenty-five minutes of attempted resuscitation, the gynecologist informed the parents that the baby was dead, but staff continued their efforts and the heartbeat returned. The baby has since suffered severe mental and physical disabilities due to the trauma.

The parents' lawyer, Alexandre Berteigne, told lepoint.fr that he was pleased with the decision, which he says is unprecedented in France. "For the first time, a tribunal recognizes that a life without consciousness is not a life," he said. He accused the hospital of having "forced to revive a child." the rest