|
|
|
|
Explaining to the Public the
Science Behind the Reality of
Fetal Pain
Part Two of Four By Dave Andrusko Let me begin at the beginning, where everything starts in the Movement: with you. Thank you so much for your enthusiastic and thoughtful responses to the stories I've written the last couple of days about Nebraska's first in the nation "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act."
Tearing apart a baby capable of feeling pain is not only barbaric on any level, but so hideous it raises the stakes for the Supreme Court: are there NO limits to the "right" to kill unborn kids? A core point I have not addressed directly is that opponents argue there really isn't evidence that an unborn baby at 20 weeks can feel pain. They point to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and paraphrase its position as saying "it knows of no legitimate evidence that fetuses experience pain." Truth be told there is plenty of "legitimate evidence." To name just two major studies, there is "Pain in the neonate and fetus," published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and a report from the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology that concluded that "fetal analgesia warrants investigation . . . because of a moral imperative to prevent possible suffering." To help us to educate the public there is a wonderful resource available. It's found at http://www.doctorsonfetalpain.com. You'll find pretty much everything you need to discuss--and document--the reality of fetal pain. That includes summaries of scientific studies and where they appeared. In addition, there are links to expert testimony given to congressional committees. And in a section called "Anatomy of Pain," you're given a week-by-week outline of fetal development. At 20 weeks, "With pain receptors, spinal cord, nerve tracts, thalamus, and cortex in place, all anatomical links needed for pain transmission to the brain, for feeling pain, are present." Keep those emails coming. This is big, big news! Please visit our newest blog www.nationalrighttolifenew.org and send your comments to me at daveandrusko@gmail.com. |
As
our State Legislative Director,
Mary Spaulding Balch aptly put
it, you "get it." But you don't
have to be a dyed-in-the-wool
pro-lifer to understand the core
issue raised by the Nebraska
legislature, which passed the
bill 44-5!