Babies in the Womb May Feel Pain Earlier Than We Thought
Mar 6, 2020
Many pro-life laws modeled after the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act assert that babies in the womb only feel pain after week 20 of gestation, but new scientific evidence suggests that it could be earlier.
Two medical professionals, Stuart Derbyshire and John C. Bockmann, have written a new academic paper, “Reconsidering fetal pain,” that proposes babies in the womb feel pain as early as 12 weeks and most definitely after 18 weeks.
Derbyshire and Bockmann found that pain is not necessarily related to the presence of a cortex, or the outer layer of the brain where higher reasoning occurs. This means that babies can experience pain before there is actual conscious awareness of the pain.
Legislators who are concerned with ending fetal pain will need to familiarize themselves with this new neuroscience when carrying abortion regulation bills of this nature. However, unless that legislation actually challenges the holding in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the legislation would be unconstitutional as to abortions prior to viability (22 to 24 weeks gestation).
New Sources
Much to Abortion Industry's Chagrin, Scientists Find Unborn Babies Feel Pain Far Earlier Than Thought
Western Journal
Fetal pain and abortion
blogs.bmj.com
NOTE: FACT provides links to external websites for educational purposes only. The inclusion of any links to other websites does not necessarily constitute an endorsement.
Two medical professionals, Stuart Derbyshire and John C. Bockmann, have written a new academic paper, “Reconsidering fetal pain,” that proposes babies in the womb feel pain as early as 12 weeks and most definitely after 18 weeks.
Derbyshire and Bockmann found that pain is not necessarily related to the presence of a cortex, or the outer layer of the brain where higher reasoning occurs. This means that babies can experience pain before there is actual conscious awareness of the pain.
Legislators who are concerned with ending fetal pain will need to familiarize themselves with this new neuroscience when carrying abortion regulation bills of this nature. However, unless that legislation actually challenges the holding in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the legislation would be unconstitutional as to abortions prior to viability (22 to 24 weeks gestation).
New Sources
Much to Abortion Industry's Chagrin, Scientists Find Unborn Babies Feel Pain Far Earlier Than Thought
Western Journal
Fetal pain and abortion
blogs.bmj.com
NOTE: FACT provides links to external websites for educational purposes only. The inclusion of any links to other websites does not necessarily constitute an endorsement.
