Tiniest of 4 Quadruplets Born to 55-Year-Old Dies

SAN DIEGO — One of the four babies born prematurely to a 55-year-old woman this month has died after being disconnected from life support, according to sources.

The girl was the tiniest of the four infants, all of whom weighed less than 2 pounds.

The mother, who underwent treatments at a fertility clinic and who is believed to be among the oldest women to give birth to quadruplets, had been hospitalized after an unsuccessful attempt to keep her from giving birth prematurely.

Officials at Mary Birch Hospital for Women, where the births took place, refused to confirm the report. They said the mother had requested confidentiality.

The births last week sparked an ethical controversy among physicians over whether the woman, because of her age and circumstances, should have been allowed to undergo induced pregnancy in the first place, especially since both eggs and sperm were donated.