Navigating the Junk Science of Fetal Pain

"...In response to scientific discourse pertaining to the utility of fetal anesthesia during abortion procedures, many double-blind peer-reviewed studies have tackled both the assertion of fetal pain and the suggestion of anesthetics in neutralizing fetal pain. Consequently, comprehensive studies of fetal pain have concluded that fetuses do not feel pain at the 20-week mark. And the most exhaustive review of studies finds that claims of fetal pain are unsupported by peer-reviewed science. These studies suggest that while the neural pathways to experience pain begin forming around 23 weeks gestation, the pathways are not functional and cannot transmit the noxious stimuli to the brain before 29 or 30 weeks..."