Had Michelle Butler been in another state other than Alabama, her child’s entry into the Guinness Book of World Records might not have been possible.
ABC7
An Alabama boy who weighed less than a pound at birth after his mother went into labor at only 21 weeks and one day of gestation has been certified as the world’s most premature baby to survive.
Guinness World Records announced Wednesday that Curtis Means set a new record. He weighed 14.8 ounces at birth (420g) and was only 14.8 inches (1420g). Born 132 days premature on July 5, 2020 with a twin who didn’t survive, Curtis is now healthy and 16 months old.
According to Dr. Brian Sims who was also the attending physician, statistics indicate that young children have little chance of survival. However, Curtis beat all odds.
“We typically advise for compassionate care in situations of such extremely preterm births,” Sims said in a statement from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which operates the hospital. “This allows the parents to hold their babies and cherish what little time they may have together.”
Until that untapped potential of life is given to flourish, we will never be able to know and understand it. Curtis, young, had the will and ability to live. With medical attention and the support of his mother, he was able to maintain life and to sustain himself.
Curtis, however, grew stronger over time and was released from the hospital after spending 275 days. To eat and use his mouth again, he needed the assistance of therapists.
“Being able to finally take Curtis home and surprise my older children with their younger brother is a moment I will always remember,” mother Michelle Butler of rural Eutaw, Alabama, said in a statement.
Unlike state’s like California and New York, who are rushing to kill children up to the moment of birth (and even after birth), and condemning the Texas Heartbeat Law as being anti-woman and an attack on reproductive health, Alabama is doing all it can to protect life in the womb and to give women seeking abortions alternatives to destroying life.
Left-leaning group, The Guttmacher Institute, collects data about abortions in America and the most restrictive states. The following restrictions were placed on abortion in Alabama as of January 1, 2021, according to the Guttmacher Institute’s data:
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Patients must first receive counseling from the state, including information intended to discourage them from having an abortion. They then have 48-hours before they can be offered the procedure.
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Health plans offered in the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act can only cover abortion in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest.
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Telemedicine is not allowed to be used for medication termination.
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An abortion must be approved by the parents of minors.
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Abortion is only possible in the case of incest, life endangerment or rape.
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An ultrasound must be done before an abortion is performed.
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A woman may have an abortion at any time after 20 weeks (22 weeks following the last period), except in extreme cases or when life is being endangered or seriously compromised. It is based on the claim that a pregnant woman can feel pain at this point during pregnancy, which has been refuted by medical professionals.
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It is mandatory that abortion clinics adhere to all applicable standards in relation to staffing, plant and equipment.
Alabama created the environment and culture that Curtis Means, a premature baby from Alabama, can thrive.
You have those anti-life supporters who may argue that Curtis Means does not thrive and is a drain of resources. They might also claim that Curtis is not contributing as much to society than a child with a better chance.
While Curtis still needs a feeding tube and supplemental oxygen because he was so premature, Sims said he’s in good health considering how early he was born.
“We do not know what all the future will hold for Curtis since there is no one else like him,” Sims said. “He started writing his own story the day he was born. That story will be read and studied by many and, hopefully, will help improve care of premature infants around the world.”
Curtis’ mother Michelle Butler took video and photos of him and shows a child who thrives and is well-loved. According to Dr. Sims, there is no way of knowing what Curtis’ future will hold or how he might achieve it. His strong will to live inspired both mothers of premature babies and the doctors who treat them.
What stories would be written and studies rendered if children with Down’s Syndrome were not cavalierly aborted?
Alabama boy named world’s most premature infant to survive https://t.co/BtKBp3rQMQ pic.twitter.com/zc9N7uNIdt
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) November 11, 2021
The argument against abortion is becoming less compelling if medical technology allows a 21 week-old preterm baby to have the chance of survival. The support and care for preborn lives is strengthened by medical advances such as the in-utero and artificial womb. It is impossible to fight for life and destroy it simultaneously.
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