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Tag: fetus

  • Woman Who Cut Out Baby After Luring Mother on Craigslist Won’t Face Murder Charges

    A decision not to file murder charges against a woman accused of cutting a seven-month-old fetus from its mother’s womb is setting off debates over so-called “fetal homicide laws.”

    Earlier this month we told you the horrifying story of a woman who lured a pregnant woman to her home with a Craigslist ad for used baby clothing. When she arrived, she was beaten and stabbed. It ended with 34-year-old Dynel Lane cutting 26-year-old Michelle Wilkins’ unborn baby from her womb and leaving her there to die. Wilkins didn’t die, however. After spending some time in critical condition she was just recently released from the hospital.

    According to police, Lane had been telling her family that she was pregnant for some time. When her husband came home he found Lane covered in blood. The baby was in the upstairs bathtub. She told him she had a miscarriage, which is also what she told doctors when she took the baby to the hospital. It didn’t survive.

    According to District Attorney Stan Garnett, the decision on what charges to file is a tough one, but murder is not an option due to the state of Colorado’s fetal homicide laws. In Colorado, a baby must show signs of life outside the womb to be considered a victim in a homicide.

    From The Denver Post:

    “Under Colorado law, essentially, there is no way murder charges can be brought if it’s not established that the fetus lived as a child outside the body of the mother,” he said.

    David Beller, a Denver defense attorney, says the charges present a complex legal challenge and deciding which ones to file is “incredibly complicated.”

    “In my experience, doctors (can) tell pretty readily whether or not the baby actually took a breath and if the lungs expanded,” he said. “I think the legal questions are going to turn to her conduct after the fact.”

    Beller said that “multiple issues” were likely at play in deciding what charges to file. He added that while there is a great deal of legal precedent in fetal death cases, there isn’t much that equates to last week’s case.

    There are 37 states that label the killing of a fetus as homicide in some cases. Twenty nine of those offer full coverage to the unborn through all periods of pre-natal development. Eight offer partial coverage – depending on the stage of development. Colorado is not one of those states.

    What Colorado does have on the books are laws that make the intentional killing of a pregnant woman an aggravating factor, as well as those that “specify that a court shall sentence a defendant convicted of committing specified offenses against a pregnant woman, if the defendant knew or reasonably should have known that the victim was pregnant, to a term of at least the midpoint, but not more than twice the maximum, of the presumptive range for the punishment of the offense” and “establishing that a court shall sentence a defendant convicted of assault in the third degree to a term of imprisonment of at least six months, but not longer than the maximum sentence authorized for the offense, if the victim of the assault was a pregnant woman and the defendant knew or should have known that the victim was pregnant.”

    For pro-choicers, fetal homicide laws represent a slippery slope to curtailing abortion rights.

    For the pro-lifers, this tragic case is an example of the need for such laws and many blame the other side for interfering in their passage.

    This is already political, but it’s probably best to think about the human consequences first. A woman is lucky to be alive and now has to deal with one of the most traumatic experiences one can imagine for the rest of her life.

  • 44-Year-Old Fetus Found Inside Elderly Brazilian Woman

    Doctors were left shocked and bewildered when they discovered a “stone baby” inside the womb of an 84-year-old Brazilian woman. The “stone baby” is an actual fetus that was a result of a botched pregnancy she had 44 years ago.

    The elderly woman was admitted to a hospital in the central state of Tocantins when she complained of dizziness and severe stomach pain. After getting a routine X-ray, doctors saw the figure of a fetus that was estimated to be 20 to 28 weeks old. The woman was immediately transferred to Porto Nacional Hospital to undergo more tests.

    According to the doctors, the woman claimed to have fallen pregnant more than 40 years ago. She experienced unbearable pain during the pregnancy and visited a witch doctor in order to eliminate her discomfort. The healer then gave her medication, which provided her instant relief. Soon after, her belly stopped growing and the movement inside also ceased. Attending gynecologist Gesneria Saraiva Kratka says that the woman believed the baby had already been aborted.

    Kratka also said that the fetus managed to stay in the woman’s abdomen for more than 40 years because it developed a calcified exterior over time, protecting the woman from suffering complications brought about by dead tissue. “Stone babies” – otherwise called lithopedions – result from dead fetuses that are unable to be reabsorbed by the mother’s body due to its size. Other cases of documented lithopedions include a 92-year-old Chinese woman with a 60-year-old fetus inside her body and a Colombian woman with a 40-year-old fetus in her womb.

    Despite Kratka’s advice to undergo surgery, the Brazilian woman was said to have no plans of getting rid of her “stone baby” any time soon. She is due to undergo further tests and scans to get more information about the fetus, after which the doctors will consult with the woman’s family members regarding the operation.

    ‘Stone baby’ also found in Colombian woman last year

    Image via YouTube

  • 3D Babies Appears To Be In Business, Will 3D Print Your Fetus For $600

    In October of last year, 3D Babies wanted to prove that Japan wasn’t the only country producing creepy 1:1 scale 3D printed fetuses. It needed help in its quest though and took to Indiegogo to raise $15,000. It only managed to bring in $1,225, however, and all was thought lost.

    While a failed Indiegogo campaign may spell death for many startups, 3D Babies’ retail Web site is still live. The company appears to still be accepting orders for all three of its models – the $600 full size fetus, the $400 halfsize fetus and the $200 mini fetus.

    Interestingly enough, the company is also offering 3D printed celebrity babies. For $250, you can obtain a mini 3D printed North West – the child of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. I thought it couldn’t get creepier than 3D printing your own fetus, but buying a 3D print of somebody else’s child is certainly something else.

    3D Babies Is Back, Will 3D Print Your Fetus For $600

    While it certainly looks like 3D Babies is in business, the company hasn’t made any updates to its site since the beginning of its Indiegogo campaign. It’s YouTube channel has also gone private. We’ve reached out to the company to find out if it’s still accepting orders or if the Web site was built prematurely on the hopes of 3D Babies succeeding in its crowdfunding campaign.

    If 3D Babies is in business, it’s the only company of its kind in North America. Regardless of your feelings on the creepy factor of buying a 3D printed celebrity baby, 3D Babies is the kind of business that’s only possible through the proliferation of 3D printing. It would be a shame for the idea to die out before it has a chance to prove itself.

    UPDATE: 3D Babies let us know over the weekend that they are still in business. The failed Indiegogo campaign only means that they couldn’t afford to buy their own 3D printer. They will still accept orders and design the 3D printed babies themselves, but they outsource the actual printing to a third party for now.

    [h/t: 3ders]
    Image via 3D Babies

  • 3D Babies Takes The Creepy Crown From Those 3D Printed Fetuses

    Remember those 3D printed fetuses that were all the rage in Japan last year? It was a little creepy, sure, but at least it was a little endearing. A similar project from the U.S. is now seeking funding, but it’s a hell of a lot creepier.

    Say hello to 3D Babies – a startup that promises to 3D print a life-sized model of your child as it appears in the womb. If that’s a little too creepy for you, they’ll also take a 3D scan of your baby outside the womb and construct a similarly creepy life-sized 3D printed doll of your child.

    So, how does this all work? It’s pretty much the same concept as was used in Japan last year. The company will take an ultrasound of your baby, or a picture of a newborn, and create a 3D printed doll of it. Unlike its Japanese counterpart, however, 3D Babies wants to stick with ultrasounds of a nearly fully formed child so the creep factor will be ratcheted up even more.

    Now, you think it can’t be that bad. It’s just a 3D print of a baby. What could they possibly do to make it that creepy? Oh, I don’t know… How about displaying it in a satin box that looks like a tiny coffin?

    3D Babies Has Taken The Creepy Crown From Those 3D Printed Fetuses

    If that’s not enough for you, you can get a tiny 3D printed baby in a satin coffin striking a decidedly questionable pose:

    3D Babies Has Taken The Creepy Crown From Those 3D Printed Fetuses

    If all of this elicits an “awww” out of you, you can put money towards 3D Babies at its Indiegogo page. It’s hoping to raise $15,000 in the next two months to afford Stratasys U-Print SE Plus needed to print these abominations dolls.

    Oh, and if you thought it couldn’t get worse, just check out the promotional video:

    [h/t: Popsugar]
    [Image: Gerard Bessette/YouTube]

  • The Japanese Are Still 3D Printing Fetuses

    We all thought it was over. The nightmares brought upon by 3D printed fetuses had just subsided last month, but Fasotec had to force its way into the news cycle once again with another story of how it 3D prints the fetus of an expecting mother.

    CNN recently stopped by Fasotec to talk about their bizarre, but apparently lucrative, business venture of printing fetuses. Last year, they were printing the entire fetus based upon an MRI scan, but they stopped doing it for safety reasons. They now use an ultrasound to scan the face of a baby. They then print it to show the mother what the child looks like while still in the womb.

    Fasotec isn’t only in the business of printing fetuses though. They’re now using their scanning technology to print the organs of individuals affected by various maladies, like tumors. With this, doctors can practice on an accurate model of the patient’s affected organ before operating on the real thing.

    The medical applications are fascinating, but Fasotec will continue making 3D printed fetus faces. Expecting mothers pay $500 for the memento, and it’s good business. In fact, I’m kind of surprised that a similar operation hasn’t opened in the U.S. yet. It’s probably only a matter of time though.

    [h/t: 3ders]

  • That 3D Printed Fetus Is Back Just In Time For The Holidays

    That 3D Printed Fetus Is Back Just In Time For The Holidays

    Back in July, a Japanese company started offering 3D printed models of a fetus for expecting mothers. It was all kinds of creepy, but there must be an appeal there that I just don’t understand. Maybe a video, instead of just creepy pictures, will help clear up why this is a thing.

    The folks at Diginfonews went to the business that makes these 3D printed fetus models to see how they’re made, and perhaps even understand the appeal. The latter becomes immediately apparent as the company says that expecting mothers reported that “it felt great to see how their babies looked before birth, and to be able to actually hold the inside of their own body.”

    The above sentiment further proves that I will never understand maternal love.

    Regardless, the whole video is a fascinating look at how 3D printing is introducing new businesses. The Japanese have been especially innovative in the space as another business offers 3D printed models of people as a kind of futuristic portrait.

    If you or somebody you know is expecting for the holidays, a 3D printed fetus might not be a bad idea for a gift. There’s only three little problems standing in your way – the service is only available in Japan, it costs $1,200, and the ultrasound must be taken during the final month of pregnancy to actually get something that remotely looks human, otherwise you’ll be stuck with a creepy alien baby.

    [h/t: Fabbaloo]

  • Scar Your Children For Life With A 3D Printed Replica Of Them As A Fetus

    I love 3D printers. They can create all sorts of whacky objects that makes the 12-year-old kid in me extremely jealous. Of course, one 3D printed replication out of Japan would have horrified me as a child.

    Japanese company Fasotec now offers expecting mothers the option of creating a 3D printed replica of the fetus currently residing inside of them. It would be kind of sweet if it wasn’t so gross. I know that mothers are really attached to their children, but this just seems like a step too far into the wrong direction.

    We’re not hear to talk about fetuses though. We’re here to talk about fetuses made with 3D printers. So how is the wonder of life translated to a hunk of plastic? It’s a pretty procedure actually. Fasotec takes an image of the fetus from an MRI and then run through 3D imaging software. From there, it’s just a simple trip to the 3D printer.

    The finished product is actually pretty small. It only measures to about 90 x 60 x 40 milliters, but it’s about as expensive as your medical bills. The “Shape of an Angel”, as Fasotec calls it, will run you about $1,230. The cost is probably attributed to the sweet little box it comes in.

    3D Printer Fetus

    I take back my claim that 3D printers are the best way to relive the good old days. I’m all for 3D printed mixtapes, but I didn’t want the traditional baby photos to turn into this. Just imagine your mother, instead of baby photos, shows your girlfriend how you looked as a fetus. That’s gotta be all kinds of awkward.

    [h/t: RocketNews 24]