June 10th 2009

Advances in medicine and technology are sustaining life for many infants born well before full term. But such ‘miracles’ often turn to nightmares when extremely premature babies are saved. Blindness, brain damage and cerebral palsy can be immediate costs borne by child and parent. Social exclusion, extreme disability and risk of abuse can follow as lifelong realities for child, parents and community alike.

Based on leading research and first-hand experience, this thought-provoking public lecture explores the emotion charged and highly political issue of saving infant lives at any cost. It traces the forces that raise the hopes of the broader community and parents, leading them to call on doctors to save lives that in any other circumstances would never survive.

Dr Janet Green

A neonatal nurse for more than twenty years, Janet Green is an expert on the ethics and care of extreme prematurity, and has research interests in the ethical issues confronting nurses and society. She has worked in the UTS Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health for fifteen years and is the Coordinator for graduate programs in neonatal and paediatric nursing. Janet is a frequent speaker on medical and nursing issues associated with extreme prematurity in the international stage and is a trusted commentator on the topic in the media.

Introduced by
Leigh Dayton, Science Writer, The Australian

Resources

• flyer (PDF 116k)
• audio recording (MP3 23.3 MB)
• presentation slides (PDF 464k)

UTSPEAKS: is a free public lecture series presented by UTS experts discussing a range of important issues confronting contemporary Australia