Foetuses 'cannot experience pain'

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spuriousmonkey

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4905892.stm

Foetuses 'cannot experience pain'

Pro-life groups say foetuses respond to stimuli from 20 weeks.

The US is considering legislation to make doctors tell women seeking an abortion it will cause the foetus pain.

It is also being suggested that, if the pregnancy is over 22 weeks, foetuses should be given pain-relieving drugs.

Dr Derbyshire, who is linked to pro-choice groups, said there were various stages of a foetus' gestation at which certain parts of the body's pain "alarm system" developed.

He concludes that pathways in the brain needed to process pain responses and hormonal stress responses are in place by 26 weeks.
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Does it matter if a fetus can feel pain or not?
 
No more than it matters whether or not you can feel pain.

Does it matter if Spurious Monkey feels pain?
 
If it does, and it seems likely, then maybe it should get anesthesia in the event it is aborted.
 
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spuriousmonkey said:
Indeed. But the fisherman isn't a fish. Nor is the medical doctor a fetus.
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We consider the egocentric world view to be primitive and strategically counterproductive.
 
spidergoat said:
If it does, and it seems likely, then maybe it should get anesthesia in the event it is aborted.
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But the whole point of the research described in the linked article is that it isn't likely a foetus feels pain prior to being born, indicating that there are no requirements for foetal anesthesia during abortions.
 
Working with early fetuses is not very disturbing. They are so inert. It it like you are working with 'tissues', not an 'organism'. But the older ones. God dam. Then you really have to be a beast to carry on. They are aware of every thing you do to them. Although a lot of the reactions are probably reflexes. Even if they are technically dead. Well, it isn't that easy to kill them.

A newborn mouse pup cannot be gassed with CO2 for instance like an adult mouse. They just do not respond to it. Cervical dislocation is the only option.
 
spuriousmonkey said:
Indeed. But the fisherman isn't a fish. Nor is the medical doctor a fetus.
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But...let's be honest here, the fetus is a human.

Geoff
 
Well, since a fetus is alive, and is a human, and (I would imagine) doesn't want to die, are we justified in saying abortion isn't murder? It's all the rage to get worked up about this and throw condoms at things, but by our own definitions isn't this murder then?

Geoff
 
Does the definition of murder make special reference to the victim (if you will) having to be of any particular age?

Actually, even if it did, wouldn't that seem a little biased?

Geoff
 
Murder indeed is a legal term and only applies to a person that has been born. A person which has not been born is not called a person, it does not have any legal rights or the ability to enforce those rights (with the only exception of inheritance rights in special cases).
 
GeoffP said:
...and (I would imagine) doesn't want to die...
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Ahh yes, well there we have it. Your imagination is not a logical basis on which to debate foetal anesthesia during an abortion, or the purely unscientific notion of 'murder'.
 
spuriousmonkey said:
I thought it was considered to be sophisticated and modern in this world?
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This world is primitive and its people are engaged in strategicaly damaging behavioural patterns. We do not approve of this.
 
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