Ronald Bailey Asks Do Fetuses Feel Pain?
The Texas legislature is debating a bill that would place significant restrictions on the availability of abortions including a ban on abortions of fetuses at 20 weeks of gestation. Proponents of the legislation claim that there is "a compelling state interest in protecting the lives of unborn children from the stage at which substantial medical evidence indicates that these children are capable of feeling pain." Reason Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey asks what do the scientific data say about fetal pain and wonders if it would change anyone's mind about abortion anyway. Also included is a bonus reprise of Reason TV's debate among libertarians about the morality of abortion.