Women’s group commends congress on fetal pain issue

Washington D.C., Nov 1, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Washington-based group, Concerned Women for America commended the U.S. Congress yesterday for their serious look at a hotly charged issue--when and if an unborn baby feels pain.

An recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that unborn babies--up until the third trimester--do not feel pain.

The study unleashed a firestorm of controversy from pro-life groups and even one Ohio Congressman, Steve Chabot, who was led to ask, if a premature baby born before the 28th week can feel pain, why would an unborn fetus of the same age not feel it?

Wendy Wright, Executive Vice President for CWA said yesterday that, "Not only do unborn children feel pain, the evidence suggests they feel pain more acutely than at any other stage of life." 

"The Constitution”, she added, “forbids cruel and unusual punishment for the guilty; we should not have a lesser standard for the innocent.

A bill, currently before the U.S. House, called the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, could require doctors performing abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy to inform the mother of the possibility of pain and offer anesthetics for the child.

Chabot, quoted in the Cincinnati Enquirer Monday, said that “There is a growing consensus that at least by the 20th week, which is halfway through the pregnancy, the unborn baby feels pain…A mother that is considering abortion should have that information before her."
 
Added Wright: "Each woman considering an abortion has the right to know the excruciating pain her innocent unborn baby will experience. In order to make an informed decision on whether to undergo an abortion, mothers should be aware that the 20-week-or-older baby they are carrying will feel agonizing pain.

"We applaud Congress”, she said, “for seeking information on an issue that the timid or abortion enthusiasts would rather sweep under the rug.”

“Ignoring evidence does not make it untrue, it only makes us accomplices."