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It’s amazing to me that there is that much debate on whether or not babies feel pain when they’re being killed. I can remember a few months ago when the baby in my wife’s uterus was just getting big enough to be felt on the outside and my wife would tell me about movements, but when I put my hand on her belly the movements would stop. She felt my hand (the temperature, the pressure, something!) and reacted to it.
I have a hard time believing that anyone who has been a dad or a mom could believe that babies somehow could not feel the saline that burns them alive, or the vacuum that tears limb by limb from their body. They may want to believe it is true, but they must know it is not.
As a “parting shot” in the last few days of the Republican Congress, the Republicans are looking to schedule debate on a bill that would address fetal pain:
The bill, by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., defines a 20-week-old fetus as a “pain-capable unborn child” — a highly controversial threshold among scientists. It also directs the Health and Human Service Department to develop a brochure stating “that there is substantial evidence that the process of being killed in an abortion will cause the unborn child pain.”
Abortion providers would be required to inform the mothers that evidence exists that the procedure would cause pain to the child and offer the mothers anesthesia for the baby. The mothers would accept or reject the anesthesia by signing a form. The bill allows for an exception for certified medical emergencies.
When fetuses can feel pain — versus a reflexive drawing back from stimuli — has been the subject of heated debate. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco last year reviewed dozens of studies and medical reports and said that fetuses likely are incapable of feeling pain until around the seventh month of pregnancy, when they are about 28 weeks old.
Again, they can say it’s just a reflex from stimuli– but I believe that this is one of those cases where parents know better than scientists.
To me, this is just ridiculous to even truly debate. Does it matter whether or not a BABY feels pain within the womb? Does that somehow make ending a life NOT murder? No. But, those who commit these acts want to be able to sleep better at night.
Unbelievable!
We are talking about a BABY here.
Even scientists think of the “fetus” as a baby at this point don’t they?
Sick just sick.
Mrs. Meg Logan
Sick, especially since they have anti-pain laws for animals. How do they justify that?
Well, you know what the problem is. By saying that babies experience pain they are humanizing the “blob of tissue.” It’s one thing to say that you’re removing some unwanted tissue mass, but when you tell the mother that you’re removing something that will actually feel pain– it just makes it harder to do the murderous procedure!
Mary touched on something that really bothers me. Animal activists. The type who value animal life over human life. I know a few people who think in such ways and I just want to pull my hair out and scream at them (I haven’t… yet. HMG)
Would you blog on this topic at some point? Animals vs Humans (if you haven’t already?)
If I can find the words, I’ll try to fulfill that request. I believe I touched on this issue in my post “PETA: We care more about animals than People“, but you’re right that it warrants more attention.
Makes my skin hurt just thinking about it!
i was on myspace. and i found this thing about abortion and i wasnt sure if it was true and i looked it up. and sad;y it was true. and when i read about all this i started crying. how can people be so cruel to babies? someone needs to stop this. its horrible.
It’s true, and sad all at the same time. It’s part of the reason that I think people are going to look back on abortion like many looked back on slavery– as a tragedy that we’re ashamed to have on our record. It’s sad that people can have a Supreme Court case about the chemicals used in lethal injection being cruel and inhumane, and yet we can dismember babies in the womb and think that’s just fine.