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Catholic World News News Feature

US Congress to vote on fetal-pain legislation December 05, 2006

With the US House of Representatives scheduled to vote December 6 on a bill known as the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, American pro-life leaders and abortion proponents are expressing different thoughts on the legislation.

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) strongly endorses the bill, which would require abortionists to inform women that the unborn child will feel pain, and to offer anesthesia for the fetus, if the abortion is taking place more than 20 weeks after conception. The NRLC position has ample support among pro-life forces in Washington, with endorsements of the bill coming from the Family Research Council, Concerned Women of America, Southern Baptist Convention, and Priests for Life.

A few pro-life activists are concerned by the legislation, however. Douglas Scott of Life Decisions International said that he had “mixed feelings” about the approach to fetal pain. “I am convinced that allowing a mother to choose anesthesia for her preborn child will make it easier for her to choose abortion,” he explained.

Proponents of legalized abortion are also split on the merits of the legislation. The National Abortion Federation predictably opposes the bill, charging that it would interfere with the doctor-patient relationship. But NARAL Pro-Choice America has announced that it “does not intend to oppose this legislation,” explaining that “women deserve access to all the information relevant to their reproductive health decisions.”

Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, the sponsor of the legislation, will seek a fast up-or-down vote on the bill in the House of Representatives. If the bill clears that hurdle, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas has said that he will push for immediate action in the Senate.