The New Amsterdam Hospital (NAH) has responded to a post circulating on social media, specifically on the Team Mohamed page, which attributes the death of an abortus to alleged negligence by doctors and staff of the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital. The post further suggested that the abortus was alive after delivery.
According to a press release, the patient presented to the New Amsterdam Hospital’s Emergency Department on January 14, 2026, with complaints of abdominal pain and bleeding. She was examined by a specialist and diagnosed with a previable threatened abortion at 24 weeks’ gestation. The patient was subsequently admitted to the institution for medical care and management.
During the course of her admission, the patient delivered the abortus. The hospital explained that a product of conception delivered at less than 28 weeks is medically classified as an abortus, while pregnancies beyond 28 weeks are classified as a fetus. In this case, the pregnancy involved a 24-week abortus.
Addressing claims made on social media that the abortus showed signs of life, medical practitioners explained that after death whether in an adult, child, or abortus, the body may exhibit involuntary muscle movements, known as spasms. These spasms occur due to residual electrical activity in the nerves and muscles and can happen several times after death. Medical professionals emphasized that such movements do not indicate the presence of life.
NAH stated that in this instance, the abortus exhibited post-delivery spasms and was subsequently returned to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. Medical professionals conducted observations and confirmed the absence of life, after which the remains were handed back to the family.
The hospital further noted that all relevant medical procedures and safety measures were followed and that psychosocial support was provided to the patient.
The matter is currently under internal review by the hospital’s Morbidity and Mortality Committee. The New Amsterdam Hospital extended its deepest condolences to the bereaved mother and her relatives during this difficult time.
