Tony Perkins' Washington Update
Aug. 2, 2005

Feeling Minnesota

Yesterday Minnesota became the second state (following Arkansas) to require doctors who perform abortions late in the pregnancy to offer anesthesia to the unborn children. Under the new law those who perform abortions on unborn children 20 weeks after fertilization or later will have to inform the woman seeking an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain and, if the mother proceeds with the abortion, to offer anesthesia for the child. In the 48 other states that do not have similar legislation an unborn child has less legal protection from feeling pain than commercial livestock. While most liberal groups might argue to ease the suffering of livestock, when it comes to unborn children groups like Planned Parenthood see fetal pain as a "fallacy."

In fact the idea behind fetal pain legislation came from the legal challenge to a ban on partial-birth abortion when evidence was introduced that the unborn child experiences significant pain from the procedure. Findings were also included in the PBA ban signed into law by President Bush. Abortion has many victims, including the mother involved and society at large, yet none of us can ever fully understand the pain the unborn child suffers. Until we can erase the blight of abortion on demand from our society, it is our duty as human beings and Christians to do all we can to ease the suffering of the most innocent.

©Copyright 2005, Tony Perkins' Washington Update, Aug. 2, 2005, Family Research Council.

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