Healthy baby aborted in tragic mix-up

A Melbourne woman made a heartbreaking decision to abort one of her sick twins, but the healthy fetus was terminated. Photo / Thinkstock

A healthy 32-week-old fetus has been terminated in a tragic mix-up at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital.

The Herald Sun says doctors had advised a woman who was having twin boys that one of them had a congenital heart defect that would require years of operations, if he survived at all.

She made the heartbreaking decision to abort but at 2.30pm on Tuesday the wrong baby was injected, terminating the healthy fetus.

The paper says the mother then underwent an emergency caesarian section to end the life of the sick child.

A hospital spokeswoman apologised for the distressing clinical accident and said a full investigation was under way.

A friend of the woman said the family was struggling with the tragic circumstances.

"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 traumatised."

An ultrasound clinician checked three times before the termination because she didn't want to make a mistake.

The woman's husband, a nurse, a doctor and the ultrasound clinician, who was reportedly inconsolable because of the mistake, were in the room at the time of the procedure.

The Herald Sun believes the family is considering legal action.

- AAP