Premature Baby Clings to Life; Was Rejected by One Hospital

A premature baby, rejected for treatment at one hospital because a doctor believed that she was too tiny to survive, fought for life Thursday. And doctors said that her respiratory function had improved.

Jana Kyle Cleveland weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces when she was born Tuesday at Peach County Hospital in Fort Valley, Ga. The child, 13 weeks premature, was denied treatment by the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon.

She was in critical condition Thursday in the Medical College of Georgia here, where doctors said she had a 30% to 50% chance of survival.

On Wednesday, the director of the neonatal care unit at the Macon hospital said that the baby had not been accepted because he believed that she was too small to survive.

‘Living Abortions’

“I don’t accept babies that are living abortions because the chances of such a baby surviving are less than 1 in 100,” Dr. Kenneth Henderson said.

He later admitted that his decision was based on misinformation. He said he had been told that the baby weighed 500 grams--about 1.1 pounds.

“That’s a living abortion,” Henderson said. “I’ve been here 10 years and we have never had a child weighing less than 600 grams survive.

“I don’t think it’s a good policy to run around the state in helicopters with babies when there’s no real chance of survival. There’s a limit to what we can do medically, and if it takes a redneck from south Georgia to say that, fine.”

Mother Convalescing

The child’s mother, Kyle Cleveland, was released from Peach County Hospital and was convalescing at the home of relatives. She planned to visit her daughter on Saturday.

The mother refused to criticize the Macon hospital for refusing to treat her baby.

“That was their choice,” she said. “I’m just glad I had a choice. Jana was strong. She had time. She was lucky. Another child might not be that lucky.”