Trump’s order on protecting preemies gives new hope to mom whose newborn twins were denied care
COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 12, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, is under investigation for refusing to treat premature twins. Amanda Finnefrock gave birth to twin boys at 22 weeks and 5 days gestation. Both boys died after hospital staff refused to offer any treatment, despite Finnefrock’s pleas for help. The hospital sent her home, having classified the boys’ deaths as “stillbirths.”
Finnefrock told The Federalist that the hospital’s neonatologist considered it “inhumane to try” to treat the infants, as it would supposedly cause them too much pain. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) investigated the case and found that hospital staff did not even conduct a screening to determine appropriate treatment. This serious omission violated 1986’s Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which obliges hospitals and emergency rooms to offer treatment to anyone who comes to them. The HHS Office for Civil Rights is continuing the investigation to see if any other laws were violated.
Finnefrock has expressed gratitude to the HHS for its initial findings.
“I am so thankful to finally have acknowledgement [from] our government that what Riverside Methodist Hospital did is wrong. I am praying that they are held accountable for what they have [done] to my beautiful sons and everything they put our family through,” she said.
Finnefrock made these comments after President Donald Trump signed the Executive Order on Protecting Vulnerable Newborn and Infant Children. This executive order is meant to “protect infants born alive from discrimination in the provision of medical treatment, including infants who require emergency medical treatment, who are premature, or who are born with disabilities.”
Finnefrock expressed hope that Trump’s order will prevent other situations like hers.
“I also hope that with this new Executive Order by the president, babies all around the country will be saved no matter the circumstances. They all have value and worth,” she said.
Created Equal, a Columbus, Ohio-based pro-life organization, gave exposure to Finnefrock’s story with a video and email campaign in May 2018. Recently, YouTube and Vimeo have censored the video on their platforms.
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