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Should abortion be legal? Should abortion be legal?
Abortions should be legal. Abortions should be legal.
Abortion should only be allowed in extreme situations. Abortion should only be allowed in extreme situations.
Abortion should be illegal. Abortion should be illegal.
Abortion is an individual's choice Abortion is an individual's choice
Abortion makes economic sense for both women and the government Abortion makes economic sense for both women and the government
An unwanted child may be resented An unwanted child may be resented
Separation of Church and State Separation of Church and State
The right to bodily autonomy The right to bodily autonomy
The health risks of pregnancy and childbirth The health risks of pregnancy and childbirth
Abortion being illegal would lead to unsafe home abortions Abortion being illegal would lead to unsafe home abortions
Abortion should be allowed when pregnancy endangers the mother Abortion should be allowed when pregnancy endangers the mother
A Mother should be allowed to abort a child with disabilities A Mother should be allowed to abort a child with disabilities
Abortion should be legal in cases of rape and incest Abortion should be legal in cases of rape and incest
Abortion is a balance of two separate individuals' rights. Abortion is a balance of two separate individuals' rights.
A foetus is a person A foetus is a person
Adoption is always an option Adoption is always an option
Abortion poses health risks to the Mother Abortion poses health risks to the Mother
Many women regret abortions Many women regret abortions
A foetus feels pain during an abortion procedure A foetus feels pain during an abortion procedure
Abortions are not permissible within certain religious beliefs Abortions are not permissible within certain religious beliefs
Debate Mini Map

Should abortion be legal?
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Abortion should be illegal.

< (3 of 3)

A foetus feels pain during an abortion procedure

Once the spinal reflex is developed at eight weeks, a foetus can feel pain.
Dr. Maureen Condic Curt Bramble
< (5 of 6) Next argument >

Context

A foetus develops the ability to feel pain very early in the pregnancy, potentially as early as seven or eight weeks. [1]

The Argument

Important neurological developments occur in a foetus at around the 7, 18 and 26-week marks. Each one of these developments allows the foetus to feel pain. Therefore, a mother's access to abortion should be severely limited. [2] At around 7 weeks, the receptors in the skin begin to be developed. Then, around 18 weeks into the pregnancy, the receptors are connected to a spinal cord which carries the pain signals to the brain. Finally, between 23 and 26 weeks into the pregnancy, the spinal cord becomes connected to the cortex in the brain, the area where the pain signals are perceived.[3] Each of these developments could allow the foetus to feel more pain. As the foetus can feel pain, an abortion procedure would be the same as murdering a child. Putting a foetus through the agony of a terminated pregnancy is inhumane and should not be permitted under any circumstance.

Counter arguments

The British Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists begs to differ. They argue that for pain to be felt, the foetus must have developed the cortex. A foetus does not develop this part of the brain until it has been in the womb for 26 weeks, well past the time that most abortions occur.[4] Therefore, any abortion before this time would be painless.[5] The American College of Obstetricians agrees.[6] Even if these medical institutions prove to be wrong, the fact that the foetus feels pain is not enough to warrant banning abortions. It is possible to administer anaesthesia to a foetus which would make the procedure humane.[7]

Proponents

Premises

[P1] A foetus can feel pain. [P2] Therefore, an abortion procedure inflicts unimaginable cruelty and suffering to the foetus. [P3] Therefore, the procedure should not be permitted.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] A foetus doesn't feel pain until very late in the pregnancy. [Rejecting P3] Even if it could, there are ways to make the procedure more humane.

References

  1. https://reason.com/archives/2013/07/12/do-fetuses-feel-pain
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1440624/
  3. https://www.livescience.com/54774-fetal-pain-anesthesia.html
  4. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6108a1.htm
  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/health/complex-science-at-issue-in-politics-of-fetal-pain.html
  6. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-abortion-pain/fetal-pain-anti-abortion-laws-spur-fierce-debate-idUSTRE73572820110406
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/us/utah-abortion-law-fetal-anesthesia.html
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 4 Feb 2020 at 11:16 UTC

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