The woman, from East Yorkshire, gave birth in a toilet at York Hospital after taking medicine for an abortion on October 26 last year, believing that her baby was only 12 weeks old. The details were heard during a search in Hull on April 11 for the baby’s death. No family was present and all evidence heard was in writing. The interrogator was informed that the mother gave birth to the baby in a toilet in the hospital after taking the drug mifepristone. The staff realized that the baby was alive and immediately began to resuscitate him. Named Ronnie by his parents, the baby was rushed to the Jessop Wing maternity ward in Sheffield where desperate efforts were made to save him. He had suffered from a number of problems, including multiple organ failure, and was seriously ill. He died four days later, although he was given the maximum possible life care. A serious case was investigated by the independent doctor Jacqui Evans. He found that “the patient volume had increased significantly”, which “increased the time needed to evaluate patients”. He said there was “information overload” and staff had “too much to do”. He also expressed concern about communication between staff due to the “serious internal pressure”. She concluded that if the patient had been referred earlier, it was possible that advanced pregnancy had been detected. While Ronnie was born prematurely, under normal circumstances a baby born at 31 weeks would have a 95 percent chance of survival. Senior Medical Examiner Professor Paul Marks praised the staff who acted quickly to try to save Ronnie. He said we should praise them for that. He said that if the true duration of the pregnancy had been correctly identified and the baby had been born in a suitable environment, he would probably have survived. A narrative conclusion about Ronnie’s death was delivered by the medical examiner. He said: “Ronnie was born alive on October 26, 2021, after a legal termination of pregnancy with internal use of the drug mifepristone. He was considered viable and rejuvenated and then treated at Jessop Wing in Sheffield. His condition worsened.”
