Montana bill seeks abortion ban on 'pain-capable' fetuses

[Grizzled Ol Granddad]

Source: ABC News

HELENA, Mont. — Mar 24, 2017, 10:51 PM ET

The Montana Senate on Friday advanced a proposal seeking to extend protections to so-called "pain-capable" fetuses.

If approved, Montana would join more than a dozen states adopting laws protecting pain-capable fetuses.

The measure is one of a pair of anti-abortion bills that continued moving through the Montana Legislature. Earlier in the week, a House committee further advanced a bill that would effectively ban all abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy by requiring doctors to save a fetus.

Opponents decried both measures as attacks on a woman's right to choose an abortion.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/montana-bill-seeks-abortion-ban-pain-capable-fetuses-46360049?cid=clicksource_4380645_1_hero_headlines_headlines_hed

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I make it a point to check news in other states, especially those that don't get a lot of national coverage unless there's a weather disaster there. But you know the phrase, "Laboratories of Democracy," right? What's going on in Utah, Alaska or Montana today might be coming to your state or mine before long.

PS: in case you're still wondering, I'm against this shitty bill and all those like it.

[safeinOhio]

1. Pain is no big deal for these folks.

I don't see them pushing for Death With Dignity laws.

[Akacia]

2. as if children going hungry is not painful.

they never seem to care after the child is born.

[greymattermom]

3. One big problem is that the definition of pain

includes an emotional component, otherwise it's called "nociception" and is considered a reflex, just like the knee jerk. At what gestational age is a fetus capable of emotion?
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4723

[Ligyron]

4. and who's going to be performing that little experiment?

I'm no neurosurgeon but it would have to vary between individual fetuses I should think.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

8. Thirty weeks, for sure

My child was born at thirty weeks and definitely felt pain outside the uterus, so I'm pretty sure she could have felt pain inside, as well.

[HelenWheels]

5. Who's going to pay medical expenses for these tiny preemies?

Preemies of 6 months would take thousands of dollars of medical care. And just how much pain do these tiny preemies go through with all the needle pokes, intubation feedings to name a few procedures.

[NickB79]

6. Most abortions after 24 weeks are due to health issues with either the fetus or the mother

IE, either the baby will be born brain-dead, will only live a short period of time after birth no matter what life-saving procedures are brought to bear, or the mother will likely die if the fetus is not aborted. Also, these abortions make up something like 3-5% of all abortions performed in the US every year.

This idea that women are just aborting 24-30 week viable fetuses simply because they feel like it is a complete myth.

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. Yes and only 1.3% of abortions are done at greater than 20 weeks

It's even less than you thought. Here's the breakdown.

[nini]

7. How do they reconcile this with wanting to undo the ACA?

I love how worried they are about pain and suffering for fetuses but anyone who's actually been born and living can go to hell.