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Statement by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas)
From the Congressional Record, May 20, 2004, pages S5985-86
S. 2466. A bill to ensure that women seeking an abortion are fully
informed regarding the pain experienced by their unborn child ; to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. [Introduced] by Mr.
BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. BUNNING, Mr.
BURNS, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DEWINE, Mr.
ENSIGN, Mr. ENZI, Mr. FITZGERALD, Mr. GRAHAM of
South Carolina, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. HATCH, Mr. KYL, Mr.
MCCONNELL, Mr. MILLER, Mr. NICKLES, Mr. ROBERTS,
Mr. SANTORUM, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SHELBY, Mr. TALENT,
Mr. CHAMBLISS, and Mr. INHOFE).
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, and I am joined by 22 original cosponsors.
Unborn children can experience pain , and they can certainly respond to
touch from outside the womb. Any woman who has been blessed with carrying a
baby in the second trimester can tell you this.
I remember my own children kicking and squirming inside of my wife's womb.
And my wife certainly remembers feeling their kicks. That unborn child is
very much alive. All along, women have been able to feel the child inside of
them, but now, science is telling us what the child inside of his or her
mother can feel.
Many among us are unaware of the scientific, medical fact that unborn
children can feel, but it is true. Not only can they feel, but their ability
to experience pain is heightened. The highest density of pain receptors per
square inch of skin in human development occurs in utero from 20 to 30 weeks
gestation.
An expert report on fetal development, prepared for the Partial Birth
Abortion Ban trials, notes that while unborn children are obviously
incapable of verbal expressions, we know that they can experience pain based
upon anatomical, functional, physiological and behavioral indicators that
are correlated with pain in children and adults.
Unborn children can experience pain . This is why unborn children are often
administered anesthesia during in utero surgeries.
Think about the pain that unborn children can experience, and then think
about the more gruesome abortion procedures. Of course, we have heard about
Partial Birth Abortion, but also consider the D&E abortion. During this
procedure, commonly performed after 20-weeks -- when there is medical
evidence that the child can experience severe pain -- the child is torn
apart limb from limb. Think about how that must feel to a young human.
We would never allow a dog to be treated this way. Yet, the creature we are
talking about is a young, unborn child .
Fortunately,
the issue of pain experienced by unborn children has been covered by the
news media during the ongoing Partial Birth Abortion Ban trials. Take for
instance an April 7, 2004 Associated Press news article covering the trials.
And I quote: "A type of abortion banned under a new federal law would cause
`severe and excruciating' pain to 20-week-old fetuses, a medical expert
testified yesterday ..... `I believe the fetus is conscious,' said Dr.
Kanwaljeet `Sonny' Anand, a pediatrician at the University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences ..... said yesterday that fetuses show increased heart
rate, blood flow, and hormone levels in response to pain . `The
physiological responses have been very clearly studied,' he said. `The fetus
cannot talk ..... so this is the best evidence we can get.''
Today I introduce a bill that would require those who perform abortions
on unborn children 20 weeks after fertilization to inform the woman seeking
an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain : (a.)
Through a verbal statement given by the abortion provider, and also (b.) by
providing a brochure--developed by the Department of Health and Human
Services--that goes into more detail than the verbal statement on the
medical evidence of pain experienced by an unborn child 20 weeks after
fertilization.
The bill would also ensure that the woman, if she chooses to continue
with the abortion procedure after being given the medical information, has
the option of choosing anesthesia for the child , so that the unborn child's
pain is less severe.
Women should not be kept in the dark; women have the right to know what
their unborn child experiences during an abortion. After being presented
with the medical and scientific information on the development of the unborn
child 20 weeks after fertilization, the woman is more aware of the pain
experienced by the child during an abortion procedure, and able -- at the
very least -- to make an informed decision. It is simply not fair to keep
women in the dark.
Unborn children do not have a voice, but they are young members of the
human family. It is time to look at the unborn child , and recognize that it
is really a young human, who can feel pain and should be treated with care.
I urge my colleagues to support and pass this important piece of
legislation.
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