Update on Fetal Pain Bill

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act is getting a lot of attention on Capitol Hill.  And, we are committed to working to ensure passage of this critical piece of legislation.

The measure would require abortionists to tell any woman considering an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy that the abortion procedure will cause significant pain for the unborn child.  Further, the legislation requires that the mother be given the opportunity to have anesthesia administered to the baby before the abortion.

The meausre already has a lot of support.  It is sponsored in the Senate by Senator Sam Brownback and in the House by Representative Chris Smith.  There are more than 30 co-sponsors.  In fact, efforts are underway to move this bill forward quickly.  Senator Brownback's chief of staff told Drew Ryun, our Director of Goverment Affairs, that the Senator is pushing for hearings to begin soon -- maybe the first taking place this month.  The goal is to have numerous hearings so the American people can understand this critical issue and how the unborn child experiences pain during an abortion.

One of the most renowned experts in fetal pain is speaking out on the issue.  Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand of the University of Arkansas Medical Center told LifeNews that medical studies conclude that unborn babies are "very likely" to be "extremely sensitive to pain during the gestation of 20 to 30 weeks."

Dr. Anand, you may remember, provided some of the most important testimony during the federal district court trials involving the national ban on partial-birth abortion.  Jay Sekulow attended the New York trial and worked closely with the Department of Justice legal team on this case.  In fact, Jay chronicled the testimony of Dr. Anand and others in his trial notebook.

The ACLJ is dedicated to working on Capitol Hill and in the courts to protect human life.  We will keep you posted regarding developments with the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act.