MELBOURNE, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Doctors at an Australian hospital who performed an abortion on a woman pregnant with twins ended the wrong pregnancy, officials said.
The woman, who was within a few weeks of giving birth, had decided to abort one fetus after being advised the unborn boy had a severe heart problem that was likely to mean years of surgery or death soon after birth, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported.
Instead, the healthy twin was aborted Tuesday at Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne.
When doctors realized the mistake, they performed an emergency Caesarian section, ending both pregnancies.
"She went to the hospital with two babies and now she has none," the friend said. "And she had the heartache of giving birth to her sick baby. She's traumatized. The hospital said it had followed correct procedure, but how could this happen?"
The hospital has not said if anyone on its staff has been disciplined, including the ultrasound technician who was responsible for identifying the sick twin. A clinical expert from the Canberra Hospital has been appointed to head an investigation.
