The Myth of "Fetal Pain"

[cathain]

WARNING! Parts of this article may be triggering!

Comments

[ext_1096485]

I strongly disagree with this "article". I am currently studying nursing and the are various articles that blatantly contradict this article. This is a rapidly growing area of research and the research is strongly indicating that fetus can feel pain . Just because a person or a fetus can not verbalize pain, doesn't mean pain isn't being felt. Nonverbal cues are indicating that a fetuses and young babies can feel pain. These reflexes are nonverbal indications of pain. Their is even more research being conducting pertaining to understander pain control procedures for young babies (including micro premies which could be aborted at the stage they where born).
Sometimes late term abortions can not be helped. If the mother's life is in danger, the women absolutely has the right to have a late term abortion. No one can ask a women to die because of pregnancy. If a late term abortion is done because their is a problem with the fetus I strongly encourage the women to understand the disease or condition that the fetus has. If the baby is going to be in long lasting pain that will go on for a long period of time, then abortion may be appropriate and merciful.However, if the fetus is has some type of condition which will cause their life to be very short, I encourage the mother to think about allowing the baby to be born and die with dignity. Their are babies born without vital organs, or have organs on the outside of their body, or have some terrible disease. Those babies are obviously not going to survive, but they can still be born. No extraordinary measures need to be taken when they are born. Give the child the hours or days that they are going to live. Acknowledge that baby has a human. Let him or her feel love and die with dignity.
I know that this is a difficult situation for any family. My niece died at 6 days old due to genetic deficits. But she had a chance to meet her family and we got to meet her. She had an adorable face and her own little personality. We have pictures with her. She died peacefully in her mother's arms (and was given pain medication to ease her pain). She was a real person and will always be acknowledged as part of our family. At 29 weeks technically she could have been aborted. But my family was so blessed by her presence for that short period of time.
Hearing that your baby isn't going to perfect is scary. The doctor may give the impression makes the baby sound like a monster, but I can tell you from experience, that is not the case.The baby will still come out looking like a baby. The baby may not have 10 fingers and 10 toes, but the physical deficits are not as scary as you may think. Part of being a parent is putting your child above yourself. Put you fears aside. Whether the baby is aborted or dies shortly after being born the mother and the family will experience a huge lose. Getting to see and hold that baby before he/she dies may give you peace.
As far as Cyndy's comment, having an ectopic pregnancy is not the same thing as having a late term abortion. Ectopic pregnancy is generally detect before 20 weeks because the fetus does not have room to grow in the Fallopian tubes.Even if it is detected after 20 weeks, the procedure must be done to save the mother. . No legislator in the world can outlaw this type of procedure because it is considered an life saving procedure.
I encourage mothers considering late term abortions to do some research and reach out to others that have been in similar situation. I will always have the belief that it is a woman's choice to choose. If a woman wants to have an late term abortion, I am not going to stop her. I am not going to protest or ridicule her. However, I will always have the belief that every person has the right to die with dignity, even a "potential" person like a fetus. This is no an easy situation and education, fact, and personal morality must guide a women's decision.

[cathain]

This article was critiqued by two professionals in neurology who have a helluva lot more experience in their fields than a "nursing student".
"Verbalization" of pain has nothing to do with it. If the structures of the brain are not present to process the signals of neuro stimuli, then pain cannot be felt. This has even been proven in cases of brain trauma.
As for women with pregnancies where fetal anomalies are present, what they do is *their* decision, not yours. There are a lot more factors involved than just whether or not the fetus "looks good" at birth. The truth is, after 30 weeks a fetus CAN begin to feel pain and to force that fetus to suffer for 10 weeks just to see it's body is inhumane in and of itself. I knew a woman who had a fetus with osteogenesis imperfecta. She chose to abort at 28 weeks for the sole reason that carrying it anywhere past that point was going to cause her baby incalculable suffering, Yet she could have carried to term and had a baby that looked perfectly normal.
I had a dear friend who had a son born with Tetraology of Fallot. In his first six months of life he underwent no less than three surgeries on his heart and great vessels and had further surgeries later in life. But he also ended up with severe brain damage from hypoxia. It caused profound mental and developmental disabilities. He never developed past the stage of a one year old. He made it to sixteen years old before his heart finally gave out and he died. At his funeral, his mother broke down in my arms and cried that, had she known what this was going to do to her *and* him, she would have aborted to save them both suffering. THAT is a "mother's love".
And by the way, you need to look up "ectopic pregnancy", Miss "nursing student". A fallopian pregnancy is an ectopic pregnancy but it's not the ONLY kind. An ectopic pregnancy is any pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus. If it attaches to the outside of the uterus or to the peritoneum or another organ it can go undetected for months. And those fetuses DO present a life threatening emergency to the mother.
This article was given a "thumbs up" by no less than a developmental neurobioigist who has spent her entire career studying pain. If you don't like it, I suggest you take it up with the *real* pros.