Sonja Smith, the founder of The Voice of the Unborn Baby NPC and the director of the Sonja Smith Funeral Group, has called for urgent policy changes and improved training for hospital staff regarding managing births before 26 weeks of gestation.

This follows an incident at the Far East Rand Hospital on February 25 in which a 15-year-old from Mkhalazenke, Daveyton, gave birth to her 25 weeks twins on her own. The infants died, and the hospital allegedly refused to grant the family permission to bury them.

The children’s grandmother then signed forms allowing the hospital to incinerate the bodies.

According to the girl’s aunt, who will remain anonymous to protect the teenager’s identity, her niece suffered severe emotional trauma and is struggling to cope.

“She is always quiet and no longer sleeps with the lights off,” the aunt said.

No nurses
Speaking to the Benoni City Times, the aunt said her pregnant niece had severe pain at school on February 25. Her mother and uncle rushed her to the hospital, where doctors discovered she was carrying twins.

The doctor could not confirm if the babies would survive but said there were heartbeats and that the babies had differing weights.

The teenager was left unattended when the time came for her to give birth.

“My niece called the nurses, but they didn’t come. She ended up pushing on her own and delivered the first baby. Only after that did a nurse arrive and take the baby, who was still alive, to the premature ward for medical attention,” the aunt explained.

At that point, the second baby had not yet been born.

The aunt claims the girl gave birth to the second baby unassisted because the nurses were still nowhere to be found.

“The second baby cried profusely for about 30 minutes. Thinking he was cold, my niece tried to wrap it in a bedsheet. She was confused and helpless. She sent pictures of the baby, still attached to the umbilical cord and lying in a pool of blood, to her mother because she did not know what to do.”

The aunt said when a nurse eventually arrived, she allegedly held the baby by the leg, declared him dead, placed him inside a plastic bag and took him away.

“The family never even got the chance to see the second baby.

Birth weights
“When we asked to see him, they told us to go to the mortuary and that ‘Jerry’ would assist us. We waited for hours, only to be informed that we could no longer see the baby because the fridges were already closed.”

The aunt said the family wished to bury the twins but was denied the right to do so. Hospital staff allegedly cited the babies’ low birth weights, 800g and 750g, as the reason.

Seeking answers, the family revisited the hospital on February 27.

The aunt said a matron promised to investigate the matter and follow up with them by March 3, but they never received a call.

She said the matron allegedly pretended not to recognise them and dismissed the case as resolved when they visited the hospital.

“We want the hospital to take accountability. What they did is unacceptable. It breaks us as a family that we couldn’t bury the babies.

“My cousin recently had a premature birth at Tambo Memorial Hospital, and they allowed her to take the baby, even though it was only five months old. But the Far East Rand Hospital refused.

“We need psychological help for my niece from counsellors. Also, if anyone is willing to help us legally, they can contact us at 063 269 7264 or 073 582 0160,” said the aunt.

The Gauteng Department of Health responds
The Benoni City Times sent questions to the department seeking clarity about its policies on the handling of stillborn or deceased preterm infants under 25 weeks.

The department’s spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, said the seriousness of the allegations requires a thorough investigation, “We have escalated this to our quality assurance team for intervention,” Modiba stated.

Fight for policy change
Sonja Smith, who has long advocated for bereaved parents’ rights, was disappointed in the lack of progress since the Constitutional Court ruling on June 15, 2022, affirming that parents should have the right to bury or cremate a baby lost before 26 weeks of gestation.

“Sadly, there have been no further developments from the Department of Health since the Constitutional Court ruling,” Smith said.

She said while some private hospitals allow parents to sign an affidavit to bury foetuses born before 26 weeks, it remains a contentious issue because of the conflicting regulations.

“Technically, the Department of Home Affairs must issue a burial order, but that can only happen when a medical practitioner signs a Notice of Death (DHA1663). Cases of pre-26-week losses fall outside the scope of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, and some doctors refuse to sign the document,” Smith explained.

She added that it is crucial to note that one breath taken by a “non-viable foetus” is a sign that it is no longer a stillbirth.

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