Oldenburg Baby
The Oldenburg Baby is the name given by the German media to Tim, an infant born in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany on 6 July 1997.
Background
Upon learning that their fetus was diagnosed with Down syndrome, Tim's parents sought a late-term abortion at the Städtische Frauenklinik hospital. Tim was born prematurely in the twenty-fifth week of pregnancy as the result of the failed procedure. Doctors had expected the child would soon die and thus withheld treatment, but when the child continued to breathe after 9 hours, doctors decided to treat him. He became a focus of the debate surrounding abortion, especially late-term abortion, and its legal and ethical consequences.
Medical consequences
The child's biological parents chose not to raise the child, so he remained in a children's clinic in Oldenburg until March 1998, when he was taken in by a foster family. In 2006, his foster parents were awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for taking care of the boy as well as another child born with Down syndrome. His foster mother claims he exhibits autistic tendencies. In 2003 Tim participated in a session of dolphin therapy which increased his alertness and presence. In 2008 it was reported that Tim was capable of walking and running on his own.
