Feeling the pain

Richard A. Sokerka

An important bill is now being considered by the U.S. Senate. The bill, to support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, would prohibit abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy except in cases of rape (the victim must seek counseling or medical treatment), incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake.

It passed the U.S. House of Represen­tatives last May — a monumental victory for the pro-life movement — but the bill failed to advance in the Senate, receiving a majority of votes but not the three-fifths required. As per usual, the Obama administration already announced its plans to veto the bill if it passes the Senate.

Sadly, the U.S. is on the infamous list of being one of only seven countries in the world that allows elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

But thankfully, medical experts are speaking out to Senators, insisting the child in the womb does, indeed, feel pain and must be protected by this law.

“We are obligated to protect the undefensible,” said Dr. Colleen A. Malloy, who teaches in the neonatology division at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Evanston, Ill. Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, she said because of technological advancements “we have pushed back the gestational age” of when an unborn child “can be resuscitated and resuscitated successfully.” A child in the womb definitely feels pain at 20 weeks, testified Dr. Malloy, and is certainly “viable.” These children “are moving, reacting, and developing right before our eyes in the neonatal intensive care unit,” she said.

Now is the time to contact our Senators and ask them for their unequivocal support for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protec­tion Act. It is also time to ask every potential candidate for president to do the same and stand up for life in the womb at all stages.