Australian hospital aborts wrong baby

A healthy 32-week-old foetus was aborted by mistake by doctors in Melbourne. The mother had agreed to abort one of her twin boys after doctors discovered he had a congenital heart defect. But the wrong baby was injected.

The mother then had an emergency Caesarean section and the sick child was also terminated in a three-hour operation, the Herald Sun newspaper reported yesterday.

The Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne described the mistake as "a distressing clinical accident".

"This is a terrible tragedy and the hospital is deeply sorry for the loss suffered by the patient and her family," the hospital said. "We are conducting a full investigation."