Senator Sam Brownback introduced the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act yesterday. The bill will require abortion providers to notify a woman who is seeking an abortion 20 weeks after fertilization of the growing medical evidence that the unborn child in her womb can feel severe and extreme pain during an abortion procedure. If the woman continues with the abortion procedure after being given this information, she would be offered anesthesia for the unborn child in order to lessen the pain that would be experienced by the unborn child.
“Unborn children can experience pain, and they can certainly respond to touch from outside the womb,” Brownback stated at a press conference today. “Any woman who has been blessed with carrying a baby in the second trimester can tell you this. 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.”
A recent Zogby poll (April 15-17) found that 77% of respondents agree that women who are 20 weeks or more along in their pregnancy should be given information about fetal pain before having an abortion.
An expert report on fetal development, prepared for the partial-birth abortion ban trials, noted that unborn children can experience pain based upon anatomical, functional, physiological and behavioral indicators that are correlated with pain in children and adults.
Brownback continued, “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.
“We would never allow a dog to be treated this way. Yet, what we are talking about is a young, unborn child. 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.”
The bill was introduced in the Senate yesterday with 22 co-sponsors. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) will be introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
(This update courtesy of Senator Sam Brownback's office.)
