{"id":13560,"date":"2016-03-30T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/utah-anesthesia-bill-shows-incoherence-of-legal-abortion-doctor-says-42822\/"},"modified":"2016-03-30T09:02:00","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T09:02:00","slug":"utah-anesthesia-bill-shows-incoherence-of-legal-abortion-doctor-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/03\/utah-anesthesia-bill-shows-incoherence-of-legal-abortion-doctor-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah anesthesia bill shows ‘incoherence’ of legal abortion, doctor says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Salt Lake City, Utah, Mar 30, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A new Utah law requiring anesthesia for unborn babies during late-term abortions shows the contradiction between society\u2019s view of life and legal abortion, a leading pro-life doctor has said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we as a society say it is okay to put to death the unborn, especially abortions that are done on fetuses that could survive outside the womb, then I think anesthesia is merciful,\u201d Dr. Donna Harrison, executive director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told CNA March 29.<\/p>\n

Legislation based on the concept of fetal pain helps people recognize \u201cthat this baby is a human being, a human being that can feel pain just like the rest of us,\u201d said Harrison, who is an obstetrician-gynecologist.<\/p>\n

At the same time, she saw a \u201cschizophrenic\u201d approach to fetal pain legislation, especially given that babies can survive outside the womb at 22 weeks into pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we should do is deliver the baby,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cIf the baby can survive outside the mother\u2019s womb, and the mother is incapable of continuing the pregnancy, then we deliver the baby under the best of circumstances and we allow that baby to continue its own life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t just kill it, or deny it care because it\u2019s immature or weak,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe as a society need to really look at this incoherent view of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The legislation requires doctors who perform abortions 20 weeks or later into pregnancy to anesthetize the unborn baby. The law makes exceptions for cases in which anesthesia could endanger the mother\u2019s life or in which the baby is not viable.
\n\u00a0
\nUtah governor Gary Herbert signed the bill into law March 28.<\/p>\n

State senator Curt Bramble (R-Provo) was among the bill\u2019s backers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will require that if we are going to take the life of an unborn child\u2026 then anesthesia would be required to protect the child from the infliction of pain at the time their life is forfeit,\u201d he said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.<\/p>\n

The senator had initially intended to introduce legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks, but changed his mind when told such a law would likely be found unconstitutional.<\/p>\n

In 2014 there were 17 abortions in Utah conducted after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The legislation drew opposition from Planned Parenthood of Utah, the only provider of late-term abortions in the state.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sean Esplin of Intermountain Healthcare in Utah said the law could put the health of women at risk, given that anesthesia would need to be applied to the mother to reach the unborn baby, the Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n

Other critics of the bill disputed whether unborn babies can feel pain at 20 weeks.<\/p>\n

Harrison thought the evidence was clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unequivocal that a fetus who is undergoing a procedure will have their heart rate increase. They will withdraw from needles or sharp objects. They will have a release of stress hormones,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said these are all of the physical reactions measured to say when the human body is reacting to pain. Harrison contended that those who want to deny the humanity of the unborn baby focus on the philosophical idea of suffering rather than \u201cthe reality that that baby is withdrawing from painful stimuli.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fetus is not a blob of tissue. It is an immature human being. We were all fetuses at one point,\u201d she said. \u201cClearly this idea that the fetus doesn\u2019t feel pain is based on the assumption that the fetus is not one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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