Questionhi there. i might be putting this question to the totally wrong area on this website but i just wanted to know...in my reading of different things, i sometimes come across the ongoing debate of partial abortions. my question is, i can't seem to get a straight answer on whether or not the fetuses pain sensors or whatever they might be called can actually feel this or if it's not developed enough yet to be 'conscious' and aware of what is taking place. whether the different pro/con sites w/info are purposefully avoiding this information i don't know but i haven't been able to find anything on that particular aspect of the procedure yet. any help you could give me or info to point me in the right direction would be much appreciated. thanks in advance!
AnswerHi there,
I was considering clicking on the option to let you know that this question is outside of my expertise, but I thought your question was polite, genuinely inquisitive, and deserving of a reply.
Having just stated that this is outside my expertise, let me qualify that by saying that I've read a lot on this subject, and while I'm no doctor or medical expert it seems that there is a lot of disagreement on this question for good reason - science doesn't seem to know a lot here.
You rightly point out that there is a difference between feeling pain and *experiencing* pain. While any number of organisms can feel pain, the experience of pain requires consciousness, and we just don't know how aware third trimester fetuses - or even babies for that matter - really are.
For me, this has always been beside the point. We do know how aware adult women are. We also know that in the incredibly rare instances that they seek a late term abortion that they are suffering. Perhaps this was a wanted pregnancy and now there is a fatal developmental defect. Perhaps the woman's life is in danger if the pregnancy continues. Perhaps this is a young girl who is a victim of incest whose pregnancy wasn't seen until this late moment.
We know these are the kind of cases that cause women to seek abortions later than other women. We know that these women are suffering. Further, we know how we can allievate that suffering: by providing them with a necessary medical service.
Maybe there is pain involved for the fetus. I don't know and I'm not sure anyone else does better than I. I do know, however, that it's not the ethical focus for me in the debate.
I hope that is helpful.
Eliyanna
