As reported by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, surgeons in the UK have for the first time repaired the abnormally developed spines of two unborn babies with open spina bifida. Both moms and babies are doing well.
“Operating in the womb involves opening the uterus, exposing the spina bifida without delivering the baby, closing the defect, and then repairing the uterus to leave the baby safely inside,” said lead fetal surgeon Jan Deprest of University College London Hospital and of University Hospital’s Leuven in Belgium. “Closure of spina bifida in the womb using this method is an alternative to postnatal surgery, and has been show to improve short and medium-term outcomes.”
In 2017, abortion statistics for England and Wales list spina bifida as the main medical condition for 148 babies being aborted.
