Can I live
Abortion limit should be reduced because foetuses feel pain before 24 weeks MPs told
By DANIEL MARTINLast updated at 08:30 29 January 2008
www.dailymail.co.uk
A foetus aborted after 20 weeks may feel 'excruciating pain'
The upper time limit for abortion should be reduced from 24 weeks because foetuses can feel pain before that time, a scientist told MPs last night.
Professor Sunny Anand from the University of Arkansas was invited to the Commons to present evidence that the part of the brain which can feel pain develops at around 20 weeks.
He said it was very likely that foetuses aborted beyond that stage of pregnancy could feel 'excruciating pain'.
Parliament is debating the abortion laws for the first time in almost two decades, with the upper age limit a key battleground.
The Commons meeting was organised and chaired by Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP and former nurse.
She is a member of the Commons science and technology committee, which carried out an inquiry last year into the abortion laws.
The report concluded that there was no scientific basis behind calls to reduce the upper time limit for abortion.
But Mrs Dorries, who says the upper limit should be 20 weeks, said scientists from the pro-choice lobby had been ignored.
Last night she said: 'Only pro-abortion evidence was allowed. That is why I have organised this meeting, to put the other side of the story to MPs.'
Earlier yesterday, on the BBC's Today programme, Professor Anand said: 'After 20 weeks of gestation it is very likely that the foetus will feel the kind of pain that occurs from the crushing of body parts or dismemberment or other invasive procedures that occur during foetal surgery or abortion.
'The foetus cannot speak for itself, so we have to deduce this from certain types of foetal behaviour.'
Pressure has mounted on the Government to review the law because of the rising number of terminations. Last year there were 194,000 in England and Wales, up from 176,000 in 2002.
MPs will vote on the abortion laws in late February.
Last night Lords were due to debate an attempt to ban the abortion of foetuses which show signs of minor disability after 24 weeks.
Normally, abortions are not allowed beyond 24 weeks but they can be carried out up to 39 weeks if tests show the baby would be born with a 'serious disability'.
There is no definition of 'serious', however, which has led to terminations for a club foot or cleft palate.
-------300 Dollars that's the price of living - What?
Mummy I don't like this clinic
Hopefully you'll make the right decision
And don't go through with the knife incision
It's amazing that they're even considering changing the law on this, but this article still left me cold. Their argument was that because foetuses feel "excruciating pain" before 24 weeks, the time limit should be dropped to below 20 weeks. They seem to think that once a foetus begins to feel pain, it is human. What a stupid way to define a human being. So now I know that because I feel pain, I am a person. Take away my sense of pain, and I become less than a person, without any right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is their point. They are quite willing to allow abortions to take place, to kill innocent babies, so long as those babies can not feel the murder.
I'll always be a part of you,
Trust your soul know it's always true,
If I could talk I'd say to you,
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE
To watch the movie of the Can I live song, click here:
posted by Lydie at
9:30 pm
5 Comments:
Hi Lyd, this is an excellent post. A well-written response, thankyou for this. Welcome to the pro-life blogosphere.
Hi Lydia, very interesting post. Great to see the Pro-life scientists having their say.
This is what the Leader of the opposition in the UK thinks about allowing abortions on the grounds of disability.
what I don't get is that he has a disabled child himself, but he thinks it's fine for people to abort their own disabled children up until birth... and he's also advocating lowering the time limit for abortions. How does that make sense?
Yeah it is great to see that he has the guts to advocate the lowering of the time limit. But no, what he thinks about aborting disabled children doesn't make sense.
Then he says "he’s a sweet boy, he’s a lovely boy. "
guess he thinks like a lot of other people, that because disabled kids are harder to look after, it's ok to abort them up to birth. It's horrible.
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