§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest medical evidence available to him as to(a) the earliest gestational age at which a child is capable of being born alive, (b) the earliest gestational age at which a child is capable of being born alive and surviving and (c) the earliest gestational age at which a child is capable of being born alive and surviving without disabilities and what statistics are available to him about numbers and rates in the above categories; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe 22nd gestational week is considered by doctors to be the earliest time that there is the slightest possibility of a foetus being born alive since before then the lungs are not mature enough to function even if ventilated. Between the 22nd and 24th weeks of gestation, the chance of being born alive and the chance of surviving afterwards increase, but up to 24 weeks, both are rare. Whether or not any particular foetus is capable of being born alive must therefore be a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned, in the full knowledge of the circumstances of the particular case.
Babies who are born premature are at high risk of disability. The statistics requested about numbers and rates are not available, as information on gestation is not collected for live birth registrations.