(LifeSiteNews) – A baby born alive into a toilet was left untreated by first responders, who put the living child into a biohazard bag.
Now the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) have had their licenses suspended following an investigation conducted by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) into the August 1 incident.
According to the published report, Shawn Hoyle and Jarrod Martin responded to a 911 call from a woman who had gone into premature labor. The mother was found in the bathroom when the EMTs arrived, having already delivered her child, who was in the toilet.
Hoyle and Martin cut the umbilical cord and moved the mother to another room, leaving the baby, who had been born at 24 or 25 weeks gestation, in the toilet, fighting for his life. The report stated that Martin later “removed Patient I from the toilet and determined Patient I did not have a brachial pulse present and also determined there was no movement of Patient I’s limbs after tapping the feet.”
Martin proceeded to put his patient in a biohazard bag instead of attempting to revive him.
READ: ‘Miraculous’ baby born at 22 weeks, less than 2 pounds defies odds, now safely at home with family
Upon arriving at the hospital, the baby was left in the ambulance and retrieved only when a doctor asked about the child whose delivery had brought the mother in for medical aid. Members of the hospital’s emergency department agreed that the baby “demonstrated a palpable pulse” and “attempted resuscitation.” The baby died shortly afterwards.
The RIDOH investigation found that the EMTs “care failed to comply with several Rhode Island Statewide EMS Protocols,” the most fundamental being “routine patient care,” which is simply the expectation to “treat life-threatening conditions in the order in which they are identified” and “manage … per age-appropriate protocol(s).”
Additionally, Hoyle and Martin did not practice “neonatal resuscitation.” This treatment is necessary as soon as emergency responders identify a “newly born infant meeting any of the following criteria: less than term gestation, not crying/breathing, and poor muscle tone.”
The report concluded that the EMTs’ response “violated the following sections of the EMS [Emergency Medical Services] Rules,” which “prohibits gross negligence in providing medical care,” “prohibits unprofessional conduct related to current standards of EMS practice,” and “prohibits the violation of federal or state law.”
The report’s emphasis on the humanity of the “newborn infant” and his status as the primary patient is in direct contrast to the actions of the EMTs.
LifeNews, which reported the story, has referenced several studies on the increased viability of premature babies.
The most premature baby ever to survive was born at 21 weeks and one day.