Clancy is full of it; a self-promoter with a persecution complex. The text on his website is mainly about his efforts to make money off his picture and whining about how Bruner’s differing description of the event ruined his photojournalism career. In the close-up pictures, it looks to me as if Bruner is just lifting the baby’s hand with his finger; no sign of gripping, even though reflexive gripping may well be normal at this stage of development. The baby’s hand is partially open at first, then closes most of the way; babies do that all the time with their hands, without any object to touch or grip. Every mother knows that babies are moving their limbs at this stage of pregnancy, and it little surprise that a limb would find it’s way out of a surgical incision in the uterus. And little surprise that a surgeon would put a finger under the little hand and gently lift it to have a look at it.
Bruner now works at a high risk perinatology center affiliated with Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville. OB/GYNs who handle high risk pregnancies are frequent targets of lawsuits and threatened lawsuits, and it’s standard practice for their attorneys and malpractice insurers to advise them not to publicly discuss pending or threatened legal actions (and in the case of insurers, it would be a condition of continued coverage). It’s also standard practice for hospitals (and many other types of employers) to prohibit employees from discussing controversial matters. With Clancy howling about how Bruner ruined his journalism career, it’s hardly surprising that Clancy would be under instructions from various parties not to discuss the matter.
Bruner has made a career of performing very innovative and risky surgery, in an attempt to help babies who have gotten off to a very bad start in life, even before birth. Some idiot photographer claiming to be on a mission from God, trying to sensationalize Bruner’s work as some sort of political bombshell, and trying to make money out of it too, is just disgusting. From his own website: “I have become obsessed with proving to the world that I did capture the earliest interaction ever recorded.” Me, me, me, me. And then: “After testifying before the Senate Committee hearing in Sept. 2003. I would not put a congressional inquiry into Samuel’s surgery completely out of the realm of possibility. Film holds multitudes of information.” Delusions of self-importance.
[Whether he’s self-absorbed or not, he’s raised some questions on his blog site — one’s quoted below — that ought to be answered.]
Janelle,
Thank you for your question. If Dr. Bruner were to admit that Samuel came out from under the anesthesia too soon, every open fetal surgery program in the world would come under scrutiny. Samuel endangered his life, and his mother’s life when he reached from the womb. If you look at the surgical opening to the uterus in my picture, to the right above Samuel’s hand, the opening has perfect edges. The opening is made with an instrument that carterizes as it cuts. It is supposed to be a relatively bloodless procedure. Above Samuel’s hand to the left, the opening was clearly damaged when Samuel reached out, resulting in the stream of blood. Look at the Life Magazine pic: http://www.life.com/Life/eisies/eisies2000/scienceSingle_blowup.html
Perfect edges.
Dr. Bruner I’m sure has endured immeasurable scrutiny because he allowed a newspaper photographer into his operating room in the first place. No other doctor involved in open fetal surgery has allowed media into the surgical suite. This procedure is now under the jurisdiction of the National Institute of Health in what is called the MOM’S Clinical Research Trials and absolutely no photographers are allowed to photograph another procedure, ever. And …….. very important! No medical personnel involved in Maternal Fetal Surgery to correct spina bifida can give an interview to a member of the media.
Regarding fetal pain: “H.R. 25 will soon become law in Louisiana. The law requires abortion practitioners to offer the mother a chance to give the baby anesthesia. It applies to any abortions done after 20 weeks of pregnancy, where studies are conclusive that an abortion baby has the capacity to experience pain.”
Samuel did not receive any anesthesia directly for this procedure. What anesthesia he did receive was from his mother being under general anesthesia. I am not a doctor, but as a witness Samuel was under anesthesia and simply came out from under it too soon. I do believe from the way his fist came flying out and flailed back and forth that he was experiencing pain.
I can’t address the doctor’s guilt for performing abortions. I’m sure the pro-abortion crowd isn’t too happy with him for, again, allowing a photographer into his operating room.